Mining is the extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agricultural processes, or feasibly created artificially in a laboratory or factory. Ores recovered by mining include metals, coal, oil shale, gemstones, limestone, chalk, dimension stone, rock salt, potash, gravel, and clay. The ore must be a rock or mineral that contains valuable constituent, can be extracted or mined and sold for profit. Mining in a wider sense includes extraction of any non-renewable resource such as petroleum, natural gas, or even water.
Tarkwa is a town and is the capital of Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal district, a district in the Western Region southwest of South Ghana. Frequently dubbed as the "Golden City" by its indigenous populace, the region is characterized by a rich tapestry of Fante communities, among which include Efuanta, Tamso, Aboso, Akoon, Nzemaline, and Kwabedu.
Gold Fields Limited is one of the world's largest gold mining firms. Headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, the company is listed on both the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The firm was formed in 1998 with the amalgamation of the gold assets of Gold Fields of South Africa Limited and Gencor Limited. The company traces its roots back to 1887, when Cecil Rhodes founded Gold Fields of South Africa Limited. As of 2019, Gold Fields was the world's eighth-largest producer of gold.
Mining in Iran is still under development, yet the country is one of the most important mineral producers in the world, ranked among 15 major mineral-rich countries, holding some 68 types of minerals, 37 billion tonnes of proven reserves and more than 57 billion tonnes of potential reserves worth $770 billion in 2014. Mineral production contributes only 0.6 percent to the country's GDP. Add other mining-related industries and this figure increases to just four percent (2005). Many factors have contributed to this, namely lack of suitable infrastructure, legal barriers, exploration difficulties, and government control.
The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) is a public university located at Tarkwa in the Western Region of Ghana.
Prestea is a town in the Western Region, in southwest Ghana and about 50 km north of the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies on the west bank of the Ankobra River, about 60 mi (100 km) northwest of Cape coast. The town is part of the Prestea-Huni Valley District. Prestea is the forty-sixth most populous in Ghana, in terms of population, with a population of 35,760 people. A railway line connects Prestea to Tarkwa and beyond to the coastal city of Sekondi-Takoradi.
Mining in Ghana is a significant contributor to the nation's economy, accounting for approximately 5% of Ghana's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 37% of total exports. Gold dominates the mineral sector, contributing over 90% of total mineral exports. In 2019, Ghana overtook South Africa to become the largest gold producer in Africa, producing 142.4 metric tonnes of gold that year.
The mining of minerals in Nigeria accounts for only 0.3% of its gross domestic product, due to the influence of its vast oil resources. The domestic mining industry is underdeveloped, leading to Nigeria having to import minerals that it could produce domestically, such as salt or iron ore. The rights to ownership of mineral resources is held by the Federal Government of Nigeria, which grants titles to organizations to explore, mine, and sell mineral resources. Organized mining began in 1903, when the Mineral Survey of the Northern Protectorates was created by the British colonial government. A year later, the Mineral Survey of the Southern Protectorates was founded. By the 1940s, Nigeria was a major producer of tin, columbite, and coal. The discovery of oil in 1956 hurt the mineral extraction industries, as government and industry both began to focus on this new resource. The Nigerian Civil War in the late 1960s led many expatriate mining experts to leave the country. Mining regulation is handled by the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, who are tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the management of all mineral resources in Nigeria. Mining law is codified in the Federal Minerals and Mining Act of 1999. Historically, Nigeria's mining industry was monopolized by state-owned public corporations. This led to a decline in productivity in almost all mineral industries. The Obasanjo administration began a process of selling off government-owned corporations to private investors in 1999. The Nigerian Mining Industry has picked up since the "Economic Diversification Agenda", from Oil & Gas, to Agriculture, Mining, etc., began in the country.
Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is a blanket term for a type of subsistence mining involving a miner who may or may not be officially employed by a mining company but works independently, mining minerals using their own resources, usually by hand.
Dowa Holdings is a Japanese nonferrous metals manufacturer. The company is a component of the Nikkei 225 stock index.
The Ghana Investment Promotion Centre commonly known as (GIPC) is the Government of Ghana agency established to encourage, promote and facilitate investments in all sectors of the economy of Ghana except mining and petroleum which are handled by the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation.
The mining industry of Guinea was developed during colonial rule. The minerals extracted consisted of iron, gold, diamond, and bauxite. Guinea ranks first in the world in bauxite reserves and 6th in the extraction of high-grade bauxite, the aluminium ore. The mining industry and exports of mining products accounted for 17% of Guinea's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2010. Mining accounts for over 50% of its exports. The country accounts for 94% of Africa's mining production of bauxite. The large mineral reserve, which has mostly remained untapped, is of immense interest for international firms.
Tanzania is a land rich in minerals. Mining makes up more than 50% of the country's total exports, of which a large part comes from gold. The country has gold reserves of 10 million ounces, generating revenue of over a billion USD. Diamonds are also found in significant amounts. Since it was opened in 1940, the Williamson diamond mine has produced 19 million carats (3,800 kg) of diamonds. Gemstones, nickel, copper, uranium, kaolin, titanium, cobalt and platinum are also mined in Tanzania. Illegal mining and corruption are ongoing problems. In 2017, the government passed a series of bills aimed at increasing revenue from minerals after a scandal which caused the dismissal of the Minister for Energy and Minerals.
Gold mining in Ghana has a long history, dating back to the 10th century when the region was part of the ancient Ghana Empire. Commercial gold mining began in the early 19th century, with Europeans establishing several mines during the colonial period. The first documented large-scale mining operation in Ghana was at Obuasi, where gold was discovered in 1897. By 1900, Ghana, then known as the Gold Coast, had become a major supplier of gold in the British Empire.
George Mireku Duker is a Ghanaian politician. He is serving as a Deputy Minister at Ghana's Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources since 2021, and is the Member of Parliament for Tarkwa-Nsuaem since 2017. He was elected into parliament on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party.
Kwame Addo-Kufuor Jnr was a Ghanaian finance and mining executive who served as the president of the Ghana Chamber of Mines and the first president of the General Assembly of the ECOWAS Federation of Chambers of Mines (EFEDCOM).
Bauxite mining in Ghana produced approximately 708,000 metric tonnes of bauxite in 2021.
Michael Edem Akafia is a Ghanaian lawyer, tax practitioner and mining executive. He is currently the Vice President for External Affairs at Gold Fields and President of Ghana Chamber of Mines. He previously served as the Vice President for Legal Affairs at the West African operations of Gold Fields Ltd.
The Gold Fields Ghana Foundation is the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of Gold Fields Ghana Limited, one of the gold mining companies operating in Ghana. The foundation's objective is to improve the socio-economic conditions of communities located around its mining operations through sustainable development programs in education, health, infrastructure, and environmental conservation. Since its establishment, the foundation has allocated more than US$100 million towards development projects and programs in the host communities surrounding the Tarkwa and Damang mines in the Western Region of Ghana.
Joshua Mortoti is a Ghanaian mechanical and mining engineer. He served as the executive vice president and head of West Africa for Gold Fields Limited and president of the Ghana Chamber of Mines.
