The Ghana Chamber of Mines has welcomed the decision by President John Dramani Mahama to establish a Private Sector Advisory Council to allow for direct engagement between the private sector and the presidency.
“The president’s position is a step in the right direction and we are happy to work with government. As a private sector we are happy to provide thought-leadership in the area of mining. It’s an initiative that we whole-heartedly welcome,” Dr Toni Aubynn, Chief Executive of the Chamber, told Public Agenda in Accra.
Last Tuesday, President Mahama announced he would inaugurate a Private Sector Advisory Council this week to cater for private sector concerns. “I am inviting our private sector partners to join me next week in inaugurating the Private Sector Advisory Council, a body that will serve as the apex of all strategic issues affecting private sector development.
“As chair of the Council, I will have direct oversight for engaging the capacities of the private sector. The days of public sector bureaucracy stifling private sector efforts must be over,” President Mahama told a cross-section of Ghanaians invited to a breakfast meeting with him.
Later in an interview, Dr Aubynn said the industry saw the platform being offered by the President not only as one for expressing concerns of the mining industry but also one that comes handy for making forward-looking suggestions. “We are not only going to raise concerns. We will make suggestions that can carry the nation forward through mining.”
