The flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), John Dramani Mahama, has pledged to employ Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the fight against illegal mining activities should he win the upcoming December 7 general elections.
Addressing attendees at the 3rd Annual Transformational Dialogue on Small-scale Mining at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) in Sunyani, Mahama emphasized his commitment to leveraging AI technology to combat the scourge of illegal mining, also known as galamsey. He outlined plans to utilize AI to pinpoint small-scale mining and galamsey operations, monitor excavators, and establish geofencing around mining concessions, all aimed at better coordinating and monitoring activities in the small-scale mining sector to mitigate environmental degradation.
Mahama further elaborated on his proposed initiatives, stating, “A special revolving fund will be established in collaboration with the private sector to provide capital and a mining equipment pool in each district where gold mining is prevalent. This will facilitate easy and affordable access to relevant mining equipment.”
Highlighting the role of the Ghana Mining Excellence Centre (GMEC), which he recently announced, Mahama explained that the initiative, to be spearheaded by UENR and UMaT (University of Mines and Technology), aims to drive innovation and green growth within the Ghanaian mining and minerals industry. He emphasized the importance of collaboration with scientists from universities worldwide to implement joint research and innovation projects under the GMEC’s umbrella.
“To support all these brilliant initiatives and ensure that we are implementing them as best as possible, I have announced the launch of a Ghana Mining Excellence Centre (GMEC), to be run initially for five years and which will be coordinated by UENR and UMaT.
“As I have envisioned it, the Centre will collaborate with scientists from other universities worldwide to implement joint research and innovation projects that will simulate green growth within the Ghanaian mining and minerals industry.”
