The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Kenneth Ashigbey, has reaffirmed the mining industry’s commitment to achieving zero fatalities and strengthening safety standards across mining operations in Ghana.
Speaking at the 2025 Mine Performance Awards and the launch of the 2026 Inter-Mines First Aid and Safety Competition in Accra, Dr. Ashigbey said safety remains the foundation of responsible and sustainable mining.
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Safety remains the foundation of responsible mining. Without safety, there can be no sustainable productivity, no operational excellence, and no social licence to operate,” he stated.
He stressed that no operational target should come at the expense of human lives.
No production target, operational milestone, or business objective is worth the loss of a single life,” he said. “Every worker who leaves home for work must return safely to their family at the end of the day.”
According to Dr. Ashigbey, the mining industry recorded improved safety performance in 2025, with fatalities declining from seven in 2024 to three in 2025. However, he noted that the industry also recorded 34 serious accidents and 210 first-aid accidents during the period.
While this reduction is commendable, we must not lose sight of the fact that one fatality is still one too many,” he emphasized.
The Chamber CEO called for stronger collaboration between mining firms and contractors to improve safety compliance, noting that many incidents continue to occur within contractor operations.
Safety standards cannot be different for employees and contractors,” he said. “Everyone on our mine sites must operate under the same uncompromising commitment to safety.”
Touching on illegal mining, Dr. Ashigbey addressed planned inspections by the Environmental Protection Authority on mining concessions affected by illegal mining activities.
Illegal mining activities are not caused by responsible mining companies, many of whom continue to invest heavily in environmental management, security, and community engagement,” he noted.
He added that the Chamber is engaging regulators and stakeholders to ensure mining companies are treated fairly while supporting efforts to address illegal mining sustainably.
Dr. Ashigbey also announced reforms to the Inter-Mines First Aid and Safety Competition beginning next year to improve participation and ensure the initiative remains relevant to evolving safety needs within mining communities.
As we launch this year’s competition, let us recommit ourselves to the shared goal of achieving zero fatalities and building a stronger safety culture throughout the mining industry,” he said.
The competition was officially launched under the theme: “Safety First, Safety Always.”
Meanwhile, the Chief Inspector of Mines at the Minerals Commission, Joseph Frimpong, announced plans by the Inspectorate Division of the Minerals Commission to introduce a Stakeholder Perception Survey aimed at assessing industry views on the regulator’s performance.
Our institution, Inspectorate Division of Minerals Commission, seemed to have enjoyed absolute upper hand on our major stakeholder or client, mining companies and their staff,” he stated. “There should be a way or platform for them to critique IDMC, first the inspectors as individuals and the institution as a whole.”
According to him, the survey will assess perceptions regarding the division’s effectiveness in enforcing compliance, reducing serious incidents, and improving safety, health, environmental and technical outcomes within the mining industry.
Frimpong also disclosed plans to launch a new initiative dubbed “FOOTPRINT,” aimed at promoting innovation and strengthening the image of both the mining regulator and the industry.
We will be launching another program dubbed FOOTPRINT,” he said. “It is a program to call for commitment and innovations in projecting the image of the institution and the industry.”
