Dan Owiredu – President of Ghana Chamber of Mines
The Ghana Chamber of Mines has reaffirmed its commitment to continually use the AKOBEN and other evaluation processes to improve environmental and social performance of mining firms.
The 2010 AKOBEN ratings recorded an appreciable improvement over the previous ratings, as Newmont Ghana Limited and Abosso Goldfields Limited obtained orange.
An orange colour depicts a satisfactory rating, which means a company was not able to meet the regulatory standards for conventional pollutants
In a statement, the Chamber of Mines congratulated mining companies that achieved appreciable improvement in this year’s AKOBEN audit and expressed hope that the next ratings will see an improvement in performance.
It also commended the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), saying it is looking forward to working effectively with the environmental regulator and other partners to improve the understanding and functioning of AKOBEN system so as to improve the ratings of members.
The AKOBEN ratings, which has been an ongoing exercise by the EPA, evaluates and discloses environmental and social performance of organizations in the country.
Anglogold Ashanti, Goldfields Ghana, Prestea Sankofa Gold Limited did not perform well this year.
The Ghana Bauxite Company would face sanctions, including financial penalties and legal proceedings for refusing to submit its monthly monitoring data for processing
A total of 50 manufacturing companies and 11 mining companies failed to secure good rating.
Diamond Cement Company at Aflao in the Volta region was declared the Most Environmentally Conscious Company in Ghana.
The EPA also compiles the public complaints it receives directly from communities and it keeps track of the complaints that are reported in the media.
By Charles Nixon Yeboah