The Ghana Mine Safety Forum, which is scheduled for April 26 to 27, 2013, at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel, in Accra, Ghana, will address issues of mine safety and the impact the mining industry has on the environment.

The forum is the first of its kind and the organisers expect to bring together environ- mental managers, mine safety and health practitioners, policymakers, mine operations superintendents, environmental nongovern- mental organisations (NGOs) and interest groups, as well as other stakeholders, to discuss critical issues pertaining to occupational health, workplace safety and environmental management in the mining industry.

Forum coordinator Michael Nandomah Mensah believes that Ghana has a vibrant mining industry, which is, however, perceived as a major polluter of the environment. “There has been considerable debate concerning the impact of mining on the environment and environmental NGOs and interest groups have always argued that mining companies are not doing enough to mitigate the environmental consequences of their operations,” he states.

In a recent study in Ghana, it was revealed that mine work is considered a lucrative job; however, it was equally seen as a perilous and dangerous profession.

Mensah says that this will change owing to technological advancements. “But more needs to be done to ensure Ghana’s mines become incident-free areas, which could also be achieved by mining operations meeting international safety and practice standards,” he notes.

The forum will also host an exhibition session, which will form an integral part of the event, allowing mining companies to showcase their overall operational standards, health, safety and environmental management activities, as well as their corporate social responsibility initiatives.

Collaborating organising partners for the forum include the Ghana Mine Workers Union, the Ghana Institute of Safety and Environmental Professionals, EnviroCare Ghana and the International Association of Mine Safety Professionals.

Key Speakers

The forum will host authorities on environ- mental and safety issues, who will address delegates on matters relating to the min-ing industry, including Knutsford University College department of environmental science senior lecturer Dr Bernard Fei-Baffoe; AngloGold Ashanti health and safety senior manager Samuel Koffie; head of the University of Ghana’s department of biological, environ- ment and occupational sciences Dr Julius N Fobil; Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining associate executive director Hannah Owusu Koranteng; Environmental Protection Agency director of mining Ransford Sakyi; and Ghana Health Service director of public health Dr Joseph Amankwa.