Samuel A. Jinapor, the minister for lands and natural resources, has emphasized the value of relations between Ghana and South Africa and urged the two nations to work together urgently to strengthen their negotiating position in relation to gold prices in order to obtain competitive gold prices on the global market to their mutual advantage.
According to the Lands Minister, 60% of the world’s cocoa production is produced in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, and these two nations have collaborated to secure what is known as the cocoa floor price. As a result, there is currently a minimum price level, regardless of what occurs on the international stage, below which cocoa cannot be sold.
He added that Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire are going above and beyond and collaborating to convince the international community to address the premium issue.
When a high-level team from South Africa visited him to, among other things, exchange ideas and best practices on the mining industry, particularly small-scale mining operations, the Minister made this statement.
Mr. Jinapor believed that Ghana and South Africa may repeat the move made by Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire in the cocoa industry.
The Minister stated that the Ghanaian government is making every effort to deal with illegal mining activities, which are known as galamsey in Ghana, Prospecting in Australia, and Zama zamas in South Africa. He also instructed his technical team to take into consideration the governance structure of the South African delegation since their system is integrated from the beginning and that the Major General who heads their committee leads to the conclusion that theirs is a broad sectoral nature.
Major General Zulu, the delegation’s leader, praised Ghana for letting her country’s top officials interact with them while they were on their knowledge-sharing tour of the nation, noting that the President of the Republic of South Africa had given them the assignment to use Ghana as a benchmark to produce more extensive results.
She went on to say that Ghana’s small-scale mining industry is concerned with enhancing both the social and economic conditions of the community.
Since both countries are members of the African Union and the Commonwealth of Nations, Ghana and South Africa, two of the continent’s top producers of gold, have had diplomatic ties since before colonial rule.
Source: newsthemegh.com