MINERALS
Someone once told me, that the richest place in the known universe is the earth. The earth receives all the untapped ideas of man, it gives birth to all the fruits of the field and it is impregnated with several kinds of precious minerals.
The wealth of nations is basically weighed by the amount of tapped natural resources they own and/or trade in. However most countries suffer from what Economists call “the resource curse syndrome”. The resource curse, also known as the paradox of plenty, refers to the paradox that countries with an abundance of natural resources (like fossil fuels and certain minerals), tend to have less economic growth, less democracy, and worse development outcomes than countries with fewer natural resources. This is absolutely the case especially of African countries.
” A mineral is not a rock whereas a rock could be made up of more than one mineral. A mineral has one specific chemical composition, whereas a rock can be an aggregate of different minerals or mineraloids. The study of minerals is called mineralogy.
Common examples of minerals include gold, diamond, manganese, lithium and bauxite, among others. Lithium is the latest mineral which has been discovered in Ghana. This was announced by the Minerals Commission of Ghana in January, 2018.
METHODS OF MINING MINERALS
Mining methods can be divided into two main excavation types, surface mining and underground mining methods.
Surface mining, including strip mining, open-pit mining and mountaintop removal mining, is a broad category of mining in which soil and rock overlying the mineral deposit are removed. This is in contrast to underground mining, in which the overlying rock is left in place, and the mineral removed through deep shafts.
Underground mining has to do with breaking through hard rocks to obtain the minerals buried in them. It refers to various underground mining techniques used to excavate hard minerals. These usually are those containing gold, diamond, silver, iron, copper, zinc, nickel, tin and lead, among others. These minerals are usually mined by the deep shaft method of underground mining. The drilling of crude oil also comes under this category.
MINING IN GHANA
Minerals are mined in several towns in Ghana. The most popular is Obuasi where gold has been mined for over a century. The Mining industry of Ghana accounts for 5% of the country’s GDP and minerals make up 37% of total exports, of which gold contributes over 90% of the total mineral exports. Thus, the main focus of Ghana’s mining and minerals development industry remains focused on gold. Ghana is Africa’s second largest producer of gold, producing a total gold output of 4.1 million ounce in 2016. Ghana is also a major producer of bauxite, manganese and diamonds.
Ghana’s mining industry include large scale mining companies, small scale mining companies and local artisanal miners known as galamsey (gather and sell) miners. Ghana has over 23 large-scale mining companies producing gold, diamonds, bauxite and manganese, and, there are also over 300 registered small scale mining groups. However most of these companies are foreign and thus, remit their profits back to their home countries. For instance, since 2010, a large number of Chinese nationals has been in the country, engaging in the galamsey mining business with a new twist. They introduced heavy earth moving machines as opposed to the indigenous method of pickaxe and shovels. Many arable lands has been rendered inappropriate for cultivation and vast acres of virgin forests has been destroyed. Moreover, the beautiful rivers of Ghana have turned muddy as a result of these modern galamsey operations. Despite depleting Ghana’s forests and rivers, these Chinese always send back their earnings into their home country and dodging the payment of taxes in most cases. As a result Ghana is continually suffering from the resource curse syndrome.
Nevertheless, Ghana’s mining industry is one of the main backbones of the economy of the country. With the rise in galamsey, the industry employed a large number of Ghanaians. The International Growth Center, in their article, “The Footprints of Galamsey in Ghana” (2007), argue that due to their detrimental environmental effects, illegal mining (galamsey) “outweigh any possible economic and cultural justifications.” According to their findings, an estimate $250 million is required to reclaim lands and water bodies affected by galamsey activities in the Western Region alone.
USES OF MINERALS
Minerals have several uses, ranging from the making of cheap jeweleries to more expensive ones and in the production of certain components of automobiles. Some minerals like salt is used in food preparation and preservation. Lithium is used in some components of electronic gadgets.
Diamonds
Diamond is a very important mineral. They are known particularly for their use in jewelry, such as rings or necklaces, because of their durability and their luster. However, most diamonds are used industrially. Diamond has an unconquerable hardness and has been known since antiquity as a “Stone of Invincibility,” bringing victory, superior strength, fortitude and courage to its wearer. Because diamonds are so hard and durable, they are ideal for grinding, cutting, drilling, and polishing. They are also uses as an abrasive. When used as such, very small pieces of diamond are embedded into grinding wheels, saw blades, or drill bits.
Bauxite is the world’s principal ore in aluminum production. Aluminum is used in the production of kitchen utensils and some parts of automobiles.
Luxurious minerals are usually used in high priced luxurious items. For instance, gold is used in some parts of Rolls Royce vehicles. In 2011, A Middle Eastern businessman paid $8 Million For A gold-plated Rolls Royce designed by Stuart Hughes.
Mineral resources are the wealth that controls trade in the world. When they are mined through well proven means, their contribution to national development will not go unnoticed. The resource curse syndrome which affects most mining communities can be reversed if governments take the initiative to channel more development projects to such areas. The effect of this is Johannesburg as opposed to Obuasi.
Thank you for reading.
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