Maxam cannot be held responsible for any wrongdoing till end of investigations- Minerals Commission
Maxam has been operating for the past 30 years
Steven Asante Yamoah, Senior Manager in charge of Mining at AngloGold Ashanti, Iduaprim mines has said in spite of the fact that it supports the Mineral Commission’s decision to regulate the manufacturing and transportation of explosives on the back of the Apiate explosion, the shutdown of Maxam Company Limited will have dire consequences on the operations of more than six companies in Ghana.
“They (Maxam) supply AngloGold Ashanti, Chirano mines, Persus Mines, Ghana Manganese Company, Adamus Mining Limited, and Awaso Bauxite. So, this directive will have significant impact on our industry if we don’t put in remedial actions immediately. So, we are working through the Minerals Commission and other explosive suppliers in the country to see how we close this gap during this period.”
“Our first expectation as industry players is the enforcement of the regulation. Though the directive will have far-reaching consequences on the industry as far as production is concerned, we are in support of it because it is consistent with the laws of the land. We will work closely with the regulator and also the service providers to make sure that we reduce the impact of this directive to the barest minimum”, he said.
Speaking on the performance history of Maxam Company Limited, a Spanish entity, Asante Yamoah noted that the company has been offering well-guided mining support services to several mining companies including AngloGold Ashanti, adding that the sudden shutdown will grossly affect their productivity.
“We started business with them for almost 30 years now and we have kept them on our mines, being in partnership for all this while. So, in terms of their performance, I have no reservation. Of course, being an entity that aspires to excellence, sometimes you identify a shortcoming and you fix them within the shortest possible time…and that shows how as a service provider they respond to improve the area of safety and compliance to regulations.”
“So, I have no reservations that they are a good service provider. However, as the Minerals Commission has earlier said, the closure is in the interest of all of us, this industry, the service provider, and the country to make sure that during this period we go into the matter to find out what happened," he added.
Isaac Mwinbellen, the Western Regional Manager of the Minerals Commission said Maxam Company Limited cannot be held liable for any wrongdoing until investigations are completed, he noted this when he handed over shutdown documents to, Emerald Takyi, Maxam’s Plant Manager
“We have not completed investigations, and we cannot say that Maxam has gone wrong in any of this. We are still going through investigations. Remember that the Police are also doing their investigations on the spot.”
“Till we put all these pieces together and look at the requirements, then we will be able to tell who is culpable and who is not. But at this stage, we cannot tell who is culpable or not. We are still in the process of investigations. Until investigations are completed, we cannot say someone is culpable or not,” he stated.
Meanwhile, there are the likes of AEL Mining Services from South Africa, who are mining explosive makers and suppliers, with Solar Nitro as well as Wilep Supply and RedBlock providing explosive services to the mining industry in the Western Region
Minerals Commission hands over shutdown documents to Maxam