As a lawyer with interest in mining and natural resources law and related issues, I was overly excited at the prospect of attending the 4th International Mining and Mineral Conference at the University of Mines and Technology at Tarkwa in the Western Region.
Even though this is a biennial event with the 4th in the series which was organised from 3rd to 5th August 2016, I have often rued my chances of missing out on attendance at the conferences previously. Thus, when I first saw the publication of the conference in the Daily Graphic this year, I resolved to attend inspite of some commitments.
Conference programme and activities
My enthusiasm to attend the conference was inspired by the programme of activities which was published in the accompanying advertisement in the Daily Graphic. The programme schedule comprised of two sessions namely the activities sessions and technical presentation sessions.
The activities for the conference included a pre-conference Metso Mining School, poster sessions, social programmes, technical sessions and workshops and post conference excursions and technical visits.
The technical sessions included presentations and discussions of technical subjects spanning the mining spectrum. These included presentations on pertinent mining issues as, innovations in mining technology; water and environmental issues in mining; electrical, electronic and computer engineering applications in mining; sustainable development and corporate social responsibility; occupational health and safety; artisanal and small scale mining; waste waters in mining etc.
Organising committees
The conference had an impressive array of mining academics from UMaT and other institutions abroad dedicated to teaching and research in mining which comprised the organising committee. The local organising committee comprised Prof R.K Amankwaa, Ray Ackabah and the youthful and exuberant Prof Arraja Eshun of the mining and mineral engineering faculties of UMaT.
The international organising committee also comprised mining academics from Nigeria, Oman, Germany, Australia and North America with impressive credentials in academia.
The technical committee comprised 16 academics from UMaT and other mining and technology universities from around the world with impressive credentials.
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony was held at the UMat auditorium on 4th August 2016 with a welcome address by Prof Jerry Kuma, the Vice Chancellor of UaMT. This was followed by a keynote address which was delivered by Mr Amponsah Tawiah, the Deputy Chief Inspector of Mines at the Minerals Commission on behalf of the CEO of the Minerals Commission, Dr Tony Aubynn who was reportedly out of the country.
Soon after the opening ceremony which was moderated by the youthful and exuberant Prof Arraja Eshun, the conference plunged full swing into technical presentations by members of faculty of UMaT. Some presentations were also done by some mining professionals and academics from mining universities around the world notably Canada, Nigeria, Namibia and Botswana.
Technical sessions and presentations
The technical sessions commenced immediately after the opening ceremony which was short to make room for the technical presentations.
The session took place in 6 syndicated rooms which accommodates about 60 people each in the auditorium block. The technical sessions spanned seven key areas in mining and mineral development.
These covered the following areas. Environmental and Safety Engineering; Advances in Mineral Extraction; Mathematical Applications in Mining; Corporate Social Responsibility; Sustainable Development and Small Scale Mining; Geomatics and Geological Engineering Issues in Mining; Advances in Mineral Extraction; Mining and Petroleum Engineering.
The presentations were done by means of power point applications and each presenter was allowed 20 minutes to make a presentation followed by questions and discussions. Over the two days of the conference, 15 papers were scheduled for presentation in Environmental and Safety Engineering, 13 in Advances in Mining, 10 in Mathematics, Electrical,
Computing and Mechanical Applications in Mining, 11 in CSR, Sustainable Development and Small Scale Mining, 18 in Geomatics and Geological Engineering Applications, 18 in Advances in Mineral Extraction and 11 in Mining and Petroleum Engineering making a total of 96 technical papers.
The technical sessions commenced on schedule at 10:30 am on the first day and at 9:00 am on the second day. This was largely due to the efficiency of co-ordination of the conference spearheaded particularly by the Vice Chancellor, Prof J.S.K. Kuma, Prof R.K. Amankwaah and the youthful and exuberant Prof Arraja Eshun. It must be stated that the Vice Chancellor himself went round all the seminar rooms making sure that all the equipment were in place. He indeed participated in the sessions as well.
Topics for presentation
It is commendable for UMaT to have assembled a very impressive faculty to make presentations at the conference which spanned almost the whole spectrum of mining and mineral development. It was exciting to interact with young faculty members with impressive graduate qualification in mining, engineering and petroleum who could easily pass for SHS students.
Some of the topics presented are Review of Water Pollution during and post Mining; Post Mining Reclamation of Manganese Waste Dump; Process Optimization of the Gold Recovery Circuit at Damang Mine; Behaviours of Microwaved Minerals during Galvanic Interaction in Acidified Hydrogen Peroxide; Developing a Solar Powered Electronic Notice Board for Blasting schedules in Mining Operations; The Impact of Mineral Policies on Small Scale Mining in Ghana- A Case Study, among others.
Overview of the Conference
There is no doubt that the International Mining and Mineral Conference at the University of Mines and Technology at Tarkwa offers a very important forum for all stakeholders in the mining spectrum to get together to share experiences and learn from each other. Most importantly, it offers a veritable platform for the academics at UMaT and other mining universities from around the world to impart knowledge in the industry. For professionals and stakeholders, It is also offers a veritable platform for stakeholder interactions and engagements and also to learn from best practices elsewhere from industry players.
Call for support
For me as a participant, I have been very thrilled with the conference and the knowledge and insights gained as well as interactions with other stakeholders and industry players.
However, it became glaring at the conference that but for the limited support offered to the University in organising the conference through sponsorship, it should have been a very mega event with full participation from all the stakeholders across the mining spectrum.
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources was not represented so were a lot of mining and allied firms.
Going forward, it is incumbent on the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ghana Chamber of Mines, Minerals Commission, mining and allied companies particularly to liaise with and offer meaningful support to UMaT to make the biennial International Mining and Mineral Conference the flagship mining event in Ghana like the Cape Town Mining Indaba.
Once again, I wish to congratulate the organising committee particularly, Prof Amankwaa, Prof Eshun, Prof Norgbey and the Vice Chancellor, Prof Jerry Kuma, for a successful conference.
Congratulations and commendation also go to Prof Mireku Gyimah, the immediate Vice Chancellor of UMaT through whose efforts the conference was instituted.
Author: Joseph Akyeampong is a lawyer with specialisation in international business law.
Email: guymilo@yahoo.com
