Government through the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has presented some equipment to the Minerals Commission to enable it carry out its mandate.
The items include 20 pickup vehicles, 10 blast monitors, 187 desktops, 68 laptops, 11 photocopiers, 19 printers and 1 back up storage devices.
Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Mr John Abu Jinapor who handed over the items to the Commission on Wednesday in addition 102 UPS machines, 5 scanners, 2 plotters, three projectors and three survey equipment to the commission.
He commended the staff of the commission for their current performance and urged them to do more to help sanitize the mining sector.
Mr Abu Jinapor who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Damongo disclosed that he has kept a close eye on the Commission since his assumption of office and he is impressed with the recent innovations and output.
He charged them to view the unfortunate incident at Appiatse as a setback and worked hard to move the commission to a higher notch.
“We have come under public scrutiny lately but per my own observations you have done very well and achieved some significant results. I am very convinced that you are doing your very best and I’m really grateful,” he said.
Mr Abu Jinapor stressed on the need for the Commission and the government as a whole to institute measures to prevent a repetition of the Appiatse incident.
According to him, the presentation of the equipment is in furtherance of that directive as the vehicles and other equipment will empower the commission to discharge its mandate.
“For you to be able to do your work, you need equipment and the basic equipment people like you need is the means of transport which is why working in close collaboration with the Board and CEO and Minister of Finance, we have been able to free up some resources which have culminated in these hardware or equipment to the Commission,” he said.
The Board Chair of the Minerals Commission, Mrs Barbara Oteng Gyasi expressed her gratitude to the government and the sector Minister, adding that this timely support will help the Commission to undertake its monitoring and inspectorate duties more efficiently.
She described the logistics as “important “and implored on the staff of the commission to “do your work well and protect the entire nation.”
The Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Mr Martin Ayisi said the intervention by the Minister is a product of continuous consultations and further pledge that his outfit will ensure the logistical support will be put to good use.