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Catherine Kuupol Kuutor, a trailblazer in Ghana’s mining industry
Catherine Kuupol Kuutor
Catherine Kuupol Kuutor was on May 1, 2024, appointed General Manager of Gold Fields Ghana’s Tarkwa Mine with a huge responsibility to manage all mining areas.
Her recent appointment has received massive plaudits from a lot of women who hailed her as one of the exceptional and hardworking female leaders in the mining industry.
Catherine Kuupol, has been described as a trailblazer in the mining industry driven by a determination to overcome challenges and reach new heights.
Her professional achievements are truly remarkable. Prior to her recent appointment, she made history as Gold Fields West Africa’s first female Metallurgical Manager overseeing operations at both the Tarkwa and Damang sites.
Catherine’s journey exemplifies the transformative impact of hard work, resilience, and unwavering dedication. She has inspired numerous individuals, especially women, to pursue careers in mining and engineering.
Notably, she sponsors two annual academic awards for Outstanding Achievements in Mineral Engineering at the University of Mines and Technology (UmaT), one for the Best Student Overall and another specifically for the Best Female Student. The awards has since motivated young people to excel in school and progress to securing careers in mines and engineering.
She has been a great role model for the youth especially female students within Tarkwa and beyond.
With a strong background in metallurgy, Catherine has devoted her career to unlocking the treasures in rocks while advocating for opportunities and representation of women in mining.
Her academic journey begun with a Diploma in Mineral Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) School of Mines in 2002.
Building on this, she pursued a Master’s degree programme in Mineral Engineering from UMaT, Tarkwa; graduating in 2011. Currently pursuing her Ph.D. at UMaT, Catherine continues to deepen her expertise and understanding in the field.
Her illustrious career began at Golden Star Wassa Mine in 2004, starting as a laboratory metallurgist before progressing through various roles such as Shift Supervisor, Senior Plant Shift Supervisor, and International Cyanide Management Code coordinator.
In 2013, she moved to Abosso Gold Fields Limited – Damang Gold Mine as Plant Technical Superintendent, ascending to Unit Manager in 2015 and assuming leadership as Head of the Metallurgy Department and acted as General Manager at the Tarkwa Mine. She led several business improvement processes that contributed to increasing gold recovery at the Damang plant.
Throughout her professional journey, Catherine has shown unwavering dedication to her profession and colleagues, spearheading business enhancement initiatives leading to notable improvements in gold recovery processes.
Catherine also leads a team of dedicated professionals working towards making huge transformation within Goldfields as their contribution to economic growth.
Her exceptional contributions have gained widespread recognition including awards from the Ghana Chamber of Mines, recognition from Gold Fields Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and being honoured as Female Mining Professional of the Year during the sixth GMIA Awards ceremony in 2020.
Through her tireless efforts, Catherine is actively shaping a brighter future for women in the mining industry, leaving a lasting legacy. Catherine has been described as the ‘woman for the people’ as she makes time to socialise and provide a listening ear to anyone she works with, even on a personal level.
Catherine has set the pace for other women to follow as her rise has since become a motivation to her colleagues and women across industries.
By Michael D. Abayateye
Ghana Tourism Authority is leading Ghana’s participation at ITB Berlin, which opened in Berlin with a vibrant national pavilion highlighting Ghana’s rich cultural heritage, tourism destinations and investment opportunities.
March 5 has been designated as Ghana Day, a special platform to promote Ghana’s languages, cuisine, Kente, festivals and business prospects to the global tourism community. The stand has already drawn strong interest with traditional arts and crafts displays, immersive multimedia presentations and popular Ghanaian snacks.
Seven private-sector players are exhibiting alongside government officials as part of efforts to deepen trade partnerships, expand market access, and attract investment across the hospitality, heritage tourism, ecotourism, and creative arts sectors.
Ahead of the official opening, the Ghana delegation also engaged young Ghanaian investors in Germany in collaboration with V Afrika-Verein and the Ghana Embassy, strengthening diaspora investment linkages and highlighting opportunities within the tourism value chain.
Ghana’s coordinated presence at ITB Berlin 2026 reinforces its strategy to position the country as the Gateway to Africa and a competitive destination for leisure travel and global investment.
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has expressed concern over delays in the release of the District Assemblies Common Fund, warning that the situation is stalling development across the country.
On his facebook page, he described as a matter of urgent national importance, the Minority Chief Whip pointed to what he sees as a growing crisis of unpaid contractors, abandoned projects, and halted infrastructure works in many districts.
He noted that several communities are grappling with half completed schools, unfinished health facilities, abandoned markets, deteriorating roads, and stalled sanitation projects.
According to him, many contractors who have executed projects for district assemblies have not been paid, forcing some construction firms to demobilise from sites while workers lose their jobs.
He stressed that the District Assemblies Common Fund is not a discretionary allocation but a constitutional requirement under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution, intended to support development at the local level.
In his view, years of delayed releases and accumulated arrears have weakened district development financing and disrupted projects meant to improve living conditions in communities.
He further argued that some payments made in recent years were largely the settlement of old debts rather than funding for new or ongoing projects, a situation he believes has affected contractor confidence and local economic activity.
He described the issue as more than a budgetary challenge, characterising it as a development emergency and a governance concern.
He therefore urged the appropriate authorities to pay outstanding DACF arrears, settle contractors who have completed their work, and ensure that transfers to districts are automatic and predictable.
He maintained that decentralisation can only succeed when district assemblies receive adequate and timely funding to carry out development projects.
He emphasised that stalled projects directly affect ordinary citizens, since they rely on such infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and economic activities.
He called for renewed attention to grassroots development, insisting that national progress should not be concentrated only in major cities but extended to all communities.
By: Jacob Aggrey
