Features
The essential decisions to establish a bauxite refinery
In line with the desire to process part of its raw materials before export and to ensure high generation of income for the country as well as make the country independent of other economies, the Government of Ghana has decided to establish a bauxite refinery, the first of its kind, to process raw bauxite into aluminium products.
In total, it is estimated that the country has about 900million metric tonnes of bauxite minerals across three main locations in Ghana. These are Awaso in the Western Region, Nyinahin in the Ashanti Region and Kibi in the Eastern Region. Awaso has about 60 million tonnes, Nyinahin 700 million tonnes and Kibi 160 million tonnes.
STRATEGIC PARTNER
To be able to make this a reality, the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) has signed an agreement with a strategic partner, Rocksure International which is a wholly owned Ghanaian company. Being a Ghanaian owned company, Rocksure International operates across Ghana and West African sub region. It has expertise in mining, drilling, loading, and haulage services.
The good news about this is that unlike the previous practice where strategic investors were foreigners, this one is wholly Ghanaian owned going to show that Ghanaians today, under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo, is poised to become truly economically independent as far as bauxite mining and refinery are concerned.
The project would require a huge investment amount of six (6) billion dollars. This will make it one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken in this country since the country became independent.
AMBITIOUS AND AUDACIOUS PROGRAMME
Not only is this programme ambitious, but it is also audacious, an indication that with certainty and boldness in our minds and planning, we would be able to go far and move the country to a higher pedestal of development. The amount of investment is to come from the private sector and once again it goes to show that with proper planning and coordination, the public sector can collaborate with the private sector to achieve the ultimate for the country.
Until this time, most of the raw materials in the country were exported in their raw form and this brings in a tiny amount of income which is used to purchase highly priced manufactured imports from developed countries. As a result of this practice, income earned by Ghana and other developing countries have always proved inadequate to cover our imports. This accounts for the poverty and poor standard of living experienced in many African countries including Ghana.
The setting up of the bauxite refinery to manufacture Aluminium products in the country is, therefore, a wake and clarion call to change our paradigm of development to be able to compete favourably with the rest of the world. With this arrangement, the vision of the president for Ghana-Beyond-Aid can become a reality. It will also show other African countries that they need to follow Ghana’s example and make their economic independence real.
COMPETITIVE BIDDING
The selection of the strategic partner, Rocksure International, did not come by chance. It was the result of rigorous series of processes involving about 39 companies which actively participated in the processes in form of competitive bidding. At the end of it all, Rocksure International was selected based on strategic competence, vision, and readiness to ensure the attainment of quality results for the bauxite refinery. The selection of the strategic investors covered a period of three (3) months in 2019 which goes to show that the selected company is fit for the job.
In view of the economic significance of bauxite, this project is likely to bring about the needed results and thereby bring about the desired economic impact for the country. bauxite is valuable because it is used in a lot of industries. An example is the chemical industry. It helps in refractory, abrasive cement, steel, and petrol industry among others. Similarly, it is used in the manufacturing of Aluminium chemicals. Again, in refractory it is used as a raw material for making several products.
ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF BAUXITE
In view of the economic importance of bauxite, the refinery for bauxite reflects the determination of the leadership of the country to generate adequate income and establish Ghana as an example for the rest of Africa to follow. This is because we cannot continuously depend on raw materials for export, knowing that it is only through an Integrated Aluminium Industry (IAI) that the country can advance economically to where it wants to be, rubbing shoulder to shoulder with the rest of active business players in the world.
It is common knowledge that raw minerals have been extracted or mined from prehistoric times. Indeed, the histories of civilisation, as well as industrial growth and advancement, have been linked with the ability of man to harness and use the materials available to him.
As a result of knowledge and technological innovation, there has been a continuous evolution and expansion in the minerals we consume and use in producing goods and services. Countries that can make use of technology and undertake safe mining have helped in sustainable development while those that are unable to do so live in abject poverty during plenty.
APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY
It is well known that countries that use appropriate technology to mine their minerals can generate more revenue and make life better for their citizens. Many countries in Africa are sitting on great wealth but are wallowing in poverty because of their inability to tap them and maximise their use in a safe and sustainable manner.
The point must be made that adequate supplies of minerals are very essential for manufacturing and construction. They are also essential for energy requirements as well as the agricultural sector for which reason we need to embark on sustainable development of a modern economy. Overall, the use of renewable energy sources, recycled materials and industrial by-products can be maximised to meet the needs of generations in countries while efforts are made to reduce waste.
Generally, minerals are essential for economic development in many ways. They help in construction to develop, maintain, and enhance our built environment and transport infrastructure. They also help in manufacturing to produce a wide range of industrial and consumer goods.
What is more, they help in transportation and electricity generation for use in the home, industry, commerce, and business transactions. Again, they are useful in agriculture and help to improve the productivity of the soil if the mining is carried out responsibly for sustainable development.
GHANA INTEGRATED ALUMINIUM DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
The Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation has an enormous task that ought to be comprehensively and effectively implemented for the realisation of the development goals of our dear nation. It has been stated that there will be a project at Nyinahin-Mpasaaso and this will lead to the production of five (5) million tonnes of bauxite per annum with the capacity to create over one thousand (1000) direct jobs. Indirect jobs such as food and water services as well as clothing and textile products will even be far higher and that it is anticipated that mining operations, after preliminary works and studies is likely to commence within the next 24 hours.
A small country like the United Kingdom and many others have adequate supply of minerals which they utilise for their respective economic development. They can maximise its use through refinery activities, and, therefore, generally, they are richer than African countries.
Ghana’s decision to setup a refinery for its bauxite deposits is, therefore, a step in the right direction. When rigidly implemented to the letter, the country will soon move up and join the wealthy nations in Africa and the world.
Contact email/whatsApp of author:
Pradmat2013@gmail.com (0553318911)
BY DR. AMPONSAH-BEDIAKO
Features
Tears of Ghanaman, home and abroad
The typical native of Sikaman is by nature a hospitable creature, a social animal with a big heart, a soul full of the milk of earthly goodness, and a spirit too loving for its own comfort.
Ghanaman hosts a foreign pal and he spends a fortune to make him very happy and comfortable-good food, clean booze, excellent accommodation and a woman for the night.
Sometimes the pal leaves without saying a “thank you but Ghanaman is not offended. He’d host another idiot even more splendidly. His nature is warm, his spirit benevolent. That is the typical Ghanaian and no wonder that many African-Americans say, “If you haven’t visited Ghana. Then you’ve not come to Africa.
You can even enter the country without a passport and a visa and you’ll be welcomed with a pot of palm wine.
If Ghanaman wants to go abroad, especially to an European country or the United States, it is often after an ordeal.
He has to doze in a queue at dawn at the embassy for days and if he is lucky to get through to being interviewed, he is confronted by someone who claims he or she has the power of discerning truth from lie.
In short Ghanaman must undergo a lie-detector test and has to answer questions that are either nonsensical or have no relevance to the trip at hand. When Joseph Kwame Korkorti wanted a visa to an European country, the attache studied Korkorti’s nose for a while and pronounced judgment.
“The way I see you, you won’t return to Ghana if I allow you to go. Korkorti nearly dislocated her jaw; Kwasiasem akwaakwa. In any case what had Korkorti’s nose got to do with the trip?
If Ghanaman, after several attempts, manages to get the visa and lands in the whiteman’s land, he is seen as another monkey uptown, a new arrival of a degenerate ape coming to invade civilized society. He is sneered at, mocked at and avoided like a plague. Some landlords abroad will not hire their rooms to blacks because they feel their presence in itself is bad business.
When a Sikaman publisher landed overseas and was riding in a public bus, an urchin who had the impudence and notoriety of a dead cockroach told his colleagues he was sure the black man had a tail which he was hiding in his pair of trousers. He didn’t end there. He said he was in fact going to pull out the tail for everyone to see.
True to his word he went and put his hand into the backside of the bewildered publisher, intent on grabbing his imaginary tail and pulling it out. It took a lot of patience on the part of the publisher to avert murder. He practically pinned the white miscreant on the floor by the neck and only let go when others intervene. Next time too…
The way we treat our foreign guests in comparison with the way they treat us is polar contrasting-two disparate extremes, one totally incomparable to the other. They hound us for immigration papers, deport us for overstaying and skinheads either target homes to perpetrate mayhem or attack black immigrants to gratify their racial madness
When these same people come here we accept them even more hospitably than our own kin. They enter without visas, overstay, impregnate our women and run away.
About half of foreigners in this country do not have valid resident permits and was not a bother until recently when fire was put under the buttocks of the Immigration Service
In fact, until recently I never knew Sikaman had an Immigration Service. The problem is that although their staff look resplendent in their green outfit, you never really see them anywhere. You’d think they are hidden from the public eye.
The first time I saw a group of them walking somewhere, I nearly mistook them for some sixth-form going to the library. Their ladies are pretty though.
So after all, Sikaman has an Immigration Service which I hear is now alert 24 hours a day tracking down illegal aliens and making sure they bound the exit via Kotoka International. A pat on their shoulder.
I am glad the Interior Ministry has also realised that the country has been too slack about who goes out or comes into Sikaman.
Now the Ministry has warned foreigners not to take the country’s commitment to its obligations under the various conditions as a sign of weakness or a source for the abuse of her hospitality.
“Ghana will not tolerate any such abuse,” Nii Okaija Adamafio, the Interior Minister said, baring his teeth and twitching his little moustache. He was inaugurating the Ghana Refugee and Immigration Service Boards.
He said some foreigners come in as tourists, investors, consultants, skilled workers or refugees. Others come as ‘charlatans, adventurers or plain criminals. “
Yes, there are many criminals among them. Our courts have tried a good number of them for fraud and misconduct.
It is time we welcome only those who would come and invest or tour and go back peacefully and not those whose criminal intentions are well-hidden but get exposed in due course of time.
This article was first published on Saturday March 14, 1998
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
Features
Decisions have consequences
In this world, it is always important to recognise that every action or decision taken, has consequences.
It can result in something good or bad, depending on the quality of the decision, that is, the factors that were taken into account in the decision making.
The problem with a bad decision is that, in some instances, there is no opportunity to correct the result even though you have regretted the decision, which resulted in the unpleasant outcome.
This is what a friend of mine refers to as having regretted an unregretable regret. After church last Sunday, I was watching a programme on TV and a young lady was sharing with the host, how a bad decision she took, had affected her life immensely and adversely.
She narrated how she met a Caucasian and she got married to him. The white man arranged for her to join him after the marriage and processes were initiated for her to join her husband in UK. It took a while for the requisite documentation to be procured and during this period, she took a decision that has haunted her till date.
According to her narration, she met a man, a Ghanaian, who she started dating, even though she was a married woman.
After a while her documents were ready and so she left to join her husband abroad without breaking off the unholy relationship with the man from Ghana.
After she got to UK, this man from Ghana, kept pressuring her to leave the white man and return to him in Ghana. The white man at some point became a bit suspicious and asked about who she has been talking on the phone with for long spells, and she lied to him that it was her cousin.
Then comes the shocker. After the man from Ghana had sweet talked her continuously for a while, she decided to leave her husband and return to Ghana after only three weeks abroad.
She said, she asked the guy to swear to her that he would take care of both her and her mother and the guy swore to take good care of her and her mother as well as rent a 3-bedroom flat for her. She then took the decision to leave her husband and return to Ghana.
She told her mum that she was returning to Ghana to marry the guy in Ghana. According to her, her mother vigorously disagreed with her decision and wept.
She further added that her mum told her brother and they told her that they were going to tell her husband about her intentions.
According to her, she threatened that if they called her husband to inform him, then she would commit suicide, an idea given to her by the boyfriend in Ghana.
Her mum and brother afraid of what she might do, agreed not to tell her husband. She then told her husband that she was returning to Ghana to attend her Grandmother’s funeral.
The husband could not understand why she wanted to go back to Ghana after only three weeks stay so she had to lie that in their tradition, grandchildren are required to be present when the grandmother dies and is to be buried.
She returned to Ghana; the flat turns into a chamber and hall accommodation, the promise to take care of her mother does not materialise and generally she ends up furnishing the accommodation herself. All the promises given her by her boyfriend, turned out to be just mere words.
A phone the husband gave her, she left behind in UK out of guilty conscience knowing she was never coming back to UK.
Through that phone and social media, the husband found out about his boyfriend and that was the end of her marriage.
Meanwhile, things have gone awry here in Ghana and she had regretted and at a point in her narration, was trying desperately to hold back tears. Decisions indeed have consequences.
NB: ‘CHANGE KOTOKA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO KOFI BAAKO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT’
Join our WhatsApp Channel now!
https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
