The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines has proposed that National Service personnel be deployed into geological exploration and mapping to help strengthen Ghana’s extractive sector.
Speaking at the JoyBusiness Roundtable on the theme “To Nationalise or Transform: Rethinking Ghana’s Approach to Gold Mining, Oil and Critical Minerals,” Kenneth Ashigbey said the idea could improve data generation and support better resource planning in the mining industry.
He argued that Ghana could unlock greater long-term value from its natural resources by involving young graduates in field-based exploration work during their national service period.
“My suggestion for government is that the National Service people we bring out, let’s put them in the field to do exploration and mapping for us to support the sector and that will help,” he said.
According to him, stronger exploration efforts would generate more reliable geological data, improve investment decisions, and increase opportunities for local participation across the mining value chain.
Mr. Ashigbey added that building local technical capacity is essential if Ghana is to maximise benefits from its mineral wealth and attract sustainable investment into the sector.
The proposal forms part of wider national discussions on how to transform Ghana’s extractive industries through increased local involvement, value retention, and long-term sector development.
