Maximize benefits of the natural resources; Government urges

By Frank Aman, Accra
African countries have been challenged to come up with new strategies that would enable their governments maximize benefits of the natural resources found in their areas, in a bid to ensure that local communities surrounding the area are directly benefitted.

This was said on Thursday by the Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, Richard Ofori-Agyeman Boadi during field trip for journalists from Tanzania, Ghana and Uganda who were in Ghana attending the 6th Regional Media Training on Oil, Gas and Mining.

During a field trip to Abuasi municipal organized by the  Ghanaian-based Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) together with PenPlusBytes, Boadi said in a bid to ensure local communities have directly benefitted from the natural resources there is a need for the local governments to put in place new local content policies.

He cited an example of mining activities taking place in Ashanti region saying that despite a century of mining operation at the area, only 1 percent of the company profits are channelled to the Community Trust Fund for development activities.

Due to that, the Chief Executive said that Obuasi municipal is in the process to maximize local content element in mining activities especially in the forthcoming initiative to develop AngloGold Ashanti gold mine.