Reflections on 4th Mining & Mineral confab
As a lawyer with interest in mining law, I was excited at attending the 4th International Mining and Mineral Conference at the University of Mines and Technology at Tarkwa from 3rd to 5th August 2016.
Even though this is a biennial event, I have often rued missing out on attendance at the previous conferences.
Conference programme
My enthusiasm to attend the conference was inspired by the programme of activities which was published in the Daily Graphic. The programme schedule comprised ofactivities sessions and technical presentation sessions.
The activities for the conference included poster sessions, social programmes, technical sessions and workshops and post conference excursions and technical visits.
The technical sessions included presentations on technical subjects spanning the mining spectrum. These included presentations on pertinent mining issues as innovation in mining technology; water and environmental issues in mining;electrical, electronic and computer engineering applications in mining; sustainable development and corporate social responsibility; occupational health and safety;artisanal and small scale mining; waste waters inminingetc.
Organising committees
The conference had an impressive array of academics from UMaT and other institutions abroad dedicated to teaching and researchinmining which comprised the local organising committee. The international organising committee also comprised mining academics from Nigeria, Oman, Germany, Australia and North America with impressive credentials in academia.
The technical committee comprised 16 academics from UMaT and other mining and technology universities from around the world.
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony was held at the UMat auditorium on 4th August 2016 with a welcome address by Prof Jerry Kuma, the Vice Chancellor. This was followed by a keynote address which was delivered by the Deputy Chief Inspector of Mines on behalf of the CEO of the Minerals Commission.
Soon after the opening ceremony, the conference plunged full swing into technical presentations by members of faculty of UMaT and other mining professionals and academics from mining universities around the world notably Canada, Nigeria, Namibia and Botswana.
Technical sessions
The technical sessions took place in six syndicated rooms in the auditorium block and spanned seven key areas in mining and mineral development.
These covered the following areas. Environmental and Safety Engineering; Advances in Mineral Extraction; Mathematical Applications in Mining; Corporate Social Responsibility; Sustainable Development and Small Scale Mining; Geomatics and Geological Engineering Issues in Mining;Advances in Mineral Extraction; Mining and Petroleum Engineering.
The presentations were done by means of power point application and each presenter was allowed 20 minutes to make a presentation followed by questions and comments. 15 papers were scheduled for presentation in Environmental and Safety Engineering, 13 in Advances in Mining, 10 in Mathematics, Electrical, Computing and Mechanical Applications in Mining, 11 in CSR, Sustainable Development and Small Scale Mining, 18 in Geomatics and Geological Engineering Applications, 18 in Advances in Mineral Extraction and 11 in Mining and Petroleum Engineering making a total of 96 technical papers.
The technical sessions commenced on schedule at 10:30am on the first day and at 9:00am on the second day. This was largely due to the efficiency of co-ordination of the conference spearheaded particularly by the Vice Chancellor, Prof J.S.K. Kuma, Prof R.K. Amankwaah and the youthful and exuberant Prof Arraja Eshun.
Topics for presentation
UMaT assembled an impressive faculty from Ghana and abroad to make presentations at the conference.Some of the topics presented are Review of Water Pollution During and Post Mining; Post Mining Reclamation of Manganese Waste Dump; Process Optimisation of the Gold Recovery Circuit at Damang Mine; Behaviours of Microwaved Minerals During Galvanic Interaction in Acidified Hydrogen Peroxide; Developing a Solar Powered Electronic Notice Board for Blasting Schedules in Mining Operations; TheImpact of Mineral Policies on Small Scale Mining in Ghana- A Case Study.
Overview
There is no doubt that the International Mining and Mineral Conference atUMaT offers a very important forum for all stakeholders in the mining spectrum to get together to share experiences and learn from each other.
It is a platform for the academics at UMaT and other mining universities from around the world to impart knowledge in the industry.
It is also a platform for stakeholder interactions and engagements and also to learn from best practices elsewhere from industry players.
Call for support
For me as a participant, I have been very thrilled with the conference and the knowledge and insights gained as well as interactions with other stakeholders and industry players.
However, it became glaring at the conference that but for the limited support offered to UMaT in sponsorship, it should have been a very mega event with full participation from all the stakeholders across the mining spectrum.
Going forward, it is incumbent on the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ghana Chamber of Mines, Minerals Commission, mining and allied companies particularly to liaise with and offer meaningful support to UMaT to make the biennial International Mining and Mineral Conference the flagship mining event in Ghana like the Cape Town Mining Indaba.
The writer is a lawyer with specialisation in international business law.
Email: guymilo@yahoo.com