The Ghana Chamber of Mines will hold its first ever Ghana Mining Industry awards next year to recognise excellence and the contribution of mining companies and individuals to the development of the country.

President of the Chamber, Mr Johan Ferreira, who launched the awards at the end of year get together of members, said the awards would be held in November every year, beginning from 2015.

He said the awards categories would include Best performance environment, best performance social responsibility, best performance occupational health and safety, and best performance engineering.

The institution of the Mining Industry awards adds up to the Chamber’s biennial mining conference and exhibition, the Mining Summit which is held to forge partnerships with counterparts from other parts of the world.

It also helps to reposition Ghana as the gateway for mining investment and business opportunities in West Africa and to connect mining companies with investors, suppliers and government officials to explore the vast mining and development opportunities.

Mr Ferreira described 2014 as a challenging year for the mining industry, citing the illegal mining on companies’ concessions and adverse perception of the local public about their operations.

He said the companies needed to do more to enable stakeholders to appreciate the contributions of the industry and its catalytic role in the development of the country.

Mr Ferreira said the Chamber would continue to work with government and stakeholders to reinforce the successes and impact of the industry in the development process of the country.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber, Mr Sulemanu Koney said in the face of recent dip in the price of gold, there was the need to forge forward with a new orientation to ensure that the country leveraged the mining industry in more creative ways to help achieve a middle income status in the future.

“We expect to deepen these engagements in the coming years and hopefully get the authorities to appreciate the catalytic role the mining industry can play play in our economy,” he added.