The Ministry of Mines, Petroleum & Natural Gases formed a council to address the challenges of the mining sector. The new entity, Council of Minerals Affairs, will be accountable to the Office of the Prime Minister. The council has been formed with representatives from the Ministry, regional mining offices and forest and environment protection offices. The mining sector lacks up-to-date mining information and is not geared to take advantage of investment opportunities, according to Minister Samuel Harpo (PhD). The sector’s illegal mineral development and trading have affected the operations and benefits of the sector, according to the Minister. The council members come from the Ministries of Trade & Industry, Revenues and Finance, different associations, the private sector and non-governmental organisations. The Ministry has been undergoing a series of reforms since last September. Under the reforms, the primary areas to be considered are designing policy frameworks for both the mining and natural gas industries, reorganising the human resources of the institution and enhancing information and communication technologies at the Ministry.
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