General News of Thursday, 13 January 2022
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
George Mireku Duker, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge Mining has allayed fears of workers of the Ghana Bauxite Company, stressing that some initiatives undertaken by the government will guarantee the long-term survival of the firm.
The future of the firm has been up in the air after their major shareholder pulled out of the company.
The exit of the firm created uncertainties with the workers scared workers threatening to embark on a demonstration if government does not step in.
The Ministry of Lands, in various meetings with the workers and other relevant groups assured them of the commitment by government to ensure that the Ghana Bauxite Company does not collapse.
After a series of engagement with investors and other parties concerned with the issue, the Deputy Minister of Lands, George Mireku Duker is announcing that a headway has been found and that the company will continue its operations.
He disclosed that government will in due course announce the decision which he believes will excite the workers.
“This engagement is to let us acknowledge all the efforts we’ve made with regards to the continuity of GBC and its affiliates. One of the legs of GBC had intents of offloading its shares and government created the environment for that to happen. As the Deputy Minister, I can boldly say that we’ve gone through the process and the future is bright. In due course, the entity that the shares was offloaded to will be made known by the sector minister.
“The respect you accorded us when we came here and how you’ve managed and comported yourselves has been impressive. You’ve been able to control the workforce and continue operations of the mine”, Mireku Duker told workers of the company at an engagement in Kumasi on Thursday, January 13, 2022.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Corporation (GIADEC), Michael Ansah hailed the ministry for its role in resolving the issue and reaffirmed the commitment of government to the process.
He spared some words of praise for the management for keeping the company running and said explained some key decision taken by government to prevent the closure of the company.
The Municipal Chief Executive of the area, Alfred Amoah said that it important for government to offer clarity on the matter and that he is happy some giant strides have been made.