The Mining Industry set to launch the Sierra Leone Chamber of Mines
On Tuesday 15 July 2014, the Sierra Leone Chamber of Mines will be officially launched at the Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel, to represent the mining sector’s interests and support the transformation of Sierra Leone’s economy and the country’s development.
The keynote speaker at the event will be the Honourable Alhaji Minkailu Mansaray (in photo), Minister of Mines and Mineral Resources. The event will be chaired by Mr Sahr Wonday, Director General of the National Minerals Agency. Other speakers include President of the Sierra Leone Chamber of Mines and CEO of Sierra Rutile, John Sisay; Mr Kristian Lempa, GIZ; Mr Ezekiel Dyke, General Secretary of the United Mineworkers Union; and Ms Haddijatou Jallow, Executive Chair of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Invited guests include Ministers and other representatives from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, as well as members of the diplomatic service. Sierra Leone’s growing private sector has increasingly become a source of key services to the mining industry; accordingly the attendance list includes CEOs from important suppliers such as the major security, transport, law, recruitment and professional services firms.
The big five mining firms in Sierra Leone – African Minerals Ltd, Octea, Sierra Rutile Ltd, London Mining and Amara Mining – are the founding members of the Sierra Leone Chamber of Mines. Membership is also open to any individual or company registered in Sierra Leone and engaged in the mining, petroleum, extractive, exploration and service provider sectors. There are four types of membership, with associate and affiliate memberships particularly catering for individuals or those who are indirectly involved in the mining industry such as the suppliers of goods and services.
The Sierra Leone Chamber of Mines was originally formed in 1965. It became dormant during the civil war and was re-established on 13 February 2013 with a new constitution.
Explaining the objectives behind the re-launched Sierra Leone Chamber of Mines, Mr John Sisay, says: “The mining industry has a long history in Sierra Leone. It has much to be proud of. It has also had to acknowledge and initiate the need for substantial change. Current debates from the media, mining communities, government, investors and other stakeholders indicate plainly that their expectations of the mining sector and its contribution to national development have increased significantly. We in the mining sector are amongst those at the forefront of that debate. We have accepted that it is no longer sufficient to measure our contribution to the country solely in monetary terms. Instead we have begun to ask ourselves how we can ensure that our activities are better aligned with our nation’s development goals and ambitions. The establishment of a new and invigorated Sierra Leone Chamber of Mines has been an important step in that process.”
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