The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has thrown his weight behind President John Dramani Mahama’s reset agenda, describing the government’s emphasis on local value addition to Ghana’s mineral resources as a vital step toward true economic transformation.

Delivering the endorsement on behalf of the Asantehene at the Mining in Motion conference on Monday, October 19, Nana Okyere Kusi Ntrama, Essumejahene, commended the administration’s determination to shift Ghana away from the export of raw minerals toward domestic processing and industrialisation.

He argued that the approach to mineral governance championed by the reset agenda could help the country break free from the cycle of poverty by retaining more value from its natural resources.

Nana Okyere Kusi Ntrama highlighted that, since assuming office, President Mahama’s reset agenda has prioritised greater national control over mineral wealth and the development of local processing capacity. “The focus on what Ghana produces from its mineral resources, rather than merely exporting them in their raw state, reflects a long-standing national aspiration to use our natural wealth to drive industrial development,” he stressed.

Referencing the ongoing debates surrounding the Ghana Gold Board (GoldBod), he urged that such controversies should not distract from the core objectives of the agenda. “Regardless of the controversies surrounding the Gold Board, there should be no doubt that the nature of the President’s reset agenda takes us right back to the very foundation of our republic, when Dr. Kwame Nkrumah sought to harness our minerals and move to establish a gold refinery in Tarkwa,” he said.

Nana Okyere Kusi Ntrama concluded that the current mineral policy direction presents Ghana with a renewed opportunity to build on its legacy by strengthening domestic value addition and ensuring the country secures greater economic benefits from its resources.

Source: Apexnewsgh.com