Otumfuo Commemorative Gold Coin project: Illegal mining poses threat

The company authorised to lead the Otumfuo Commemorative Gold Coin project says illegal mining (galamsey) is a threat to the initiative.

Officials of the company are thus embarking on a responsible gold mining initiative as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility to protect the purity of the Gold Coin, and also ensure sanity in the artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector in the Ashanti Region.

The E On 3 Group, the company that was given authorisation by the Bank of Ghana to mint the coin, on Monday, March 20, 2023, started an intensive media campaign on responsible gold mining in the Ashanti Region, which took officials of the company to three media stations in Kumasi namely Sompa FM/TV, Opemsuo Radio and Pure FM.

The officials took time to explain what the Otumfuo Commemorative Gold Coin stood for, and the dangers posed to its noble objectives by galamsey, which is endemic in the Ashanti Region.

The Otumfuo Commemorative Gold Coin was launched on December 12, 2021, to recognise His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene for his tremendous role in bringing an end to the protracted Dagbon conflict, as well as other peace-building and national development initiatives.

For the responsible gold mining initiative, the partners are, E ON 3 Group, Manhyia Palace, Ansong Askew, African Responsible Mining Company, Access Bank, KGL Group/KGL Foundation, PMMC, Gold Coast Refinery, GLICO, and Coronation Insurance Company Limited, supported by World Gold Council, Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and PX Precinox.

Officials of the company also noted that the Otumfuo Commemorative Gold Coin project will embark on sustained education and training programmes on illegal gold mining for chiefs in the Ashanti Region.