Investors seeking to explore and apply for mineral rights and concession in Ghana can do so online beginning next year, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Nii Osah Mills, has announced.

For the first time in the history of Ghana, a fully-fledged computerized mining cadastral system is being developed for the country under a bilateral agreement with the Australian government.

Addressing the press at the Meet-the-Press series in Accra, the Minister said: “When completed, the system will ensure effectiveness, accountability and compliance in the management of mineral rights to boost investment. It is expected that from 2017, investors can apply for mineral rights online.”

Under this new system, information relating to existing concessions as well as status of new applications (payments made, concession validity, size, location etc.) can be assessed and tracked online.

It is expected that by April 2017, investors can conduct full cartographic searches and apply online for mineral rights.

The implementation of a Mining Cadastral System in Ghana is expected to help prevent disputes over concession boundaries and significantly reduce human interventions in the mineral rights acquisition and management process.

At the same time, it will help improve collaboration and interaction between relevant government institutions like the Minerals Commission, Ghana Revenue Authority, and Bank of Ghana, among others.

The Minerals Commission has officially launched the online repository for public access where all data recorded in the Mining Cadastral pertaining to mineral rights and related revenues are published.

Dr. Toni Aubynn, CEO of the commission said in August that “we are excited that what we set out to achieve is turning out positively with the development of a fully-fledged Mining Cadastral Administration System”.