As the new Regional Head for the Western Region, Mr Samuel Gyabaah has been nominated by the Minerals Commission.
Mr. Gyabaah, a mining engineer who has spent 18 years working for AngloGold Ashanti, served as the director of the Commission’s Ashanti Regional Office.
Mr. Desmond Boahen, a mining engineer by trade, who oversaw the Commission’s Western Regional Office in Takoradi has been moved to Koforidua to oversee the Eastern Regional Office.
Additionally, Mr. Paul Dawson, a mining engineer who spent 20 years as the environmental manager for Newmont Ghana Gold Limited, has been named the Ashanti Regional Head of the Commission.
The new hires and transfers were reported to the Media on Wednesday by Mr. Abraham Otabil, the ministry’s public relations officer.
The recent explosion at the Anto-Abosso quarry site in the Shama District of the Western Region is thought to be connected to the new hires and transfers.
The several district heads of the Commission may also be impacted by the moves, according to a source within the Commission.
All of the Regional Heads of the Commission have been instructed by the Chief Inspector of Mines to conduct an audit of every quarry activity under their authority.
On September 9, a quarry explosion in Anto-Abosso resulted in five fatalities and several injuries. Additionally, it damaged assets worth tens of thousands of Ghana cedis.
The quarry firm, Sta Addsams Enterprise, was operating at the location unlawfully, according to the Minerals Commission, because it had not been given a lease or licence to engage in any quarry activities.
