Gov't to study divestiture of gold mining companies

Dunkwa On-Offin (Central Region) -- The government is to study the divestiture of the State Gold Mining Corporation at Dunkwa and the Ashanti Gold Corporation (AGC) Ayanfuri Limited to see if they could be assisted to come back into operation to offer job avenues for the youth in the area, Mr. J. H. Mensah, Senior Minister said on Friday.

He urged the chiefs and people of the Upper Denkyira traditional area especially the youth, to exercise restraint and cooperate with the management of the two companies to ensure peace in the area.

Mr. Mensah was responding to some public concerns raised at a well-attended Peoples Assembly organised by the Upper Denkyira District Assembly at Dunkwa-On-Offin as part of activities marking the ninth anniversary of the Fourth Republic and the government's one year in office.

Issues raised, focused mostly on the two mining companies in the area which had not resumed operations despite their divestiture, the provision of electricity, construction and rehabilitation of roads and schools.

Mr. Mensah gave the assurance that the government would do everything to better their lot, stressing that with good economic policies and programmes Ghana's economy had started picking up.

He advised Ghanaians not to play politics with projects that involved the lives of the people and cautioned persons who had started undermining the Cassava Project to stop their nefarious activities.

The Senior Minister appealed to the youth to get involved in agriculture to increase food production for export, adding that more feeder roads would be constructed to facilitate food and cocoa evacuation form growing areas.