The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa, has officially opened an underground demonstration mine on campus to provide students with direct exposure to underground conditions.

🇬🇭 Here's What Happened

The facility, initiated by Professor Richard Kwasi Amankwah, the immediate past Vice Chancellor of UMaT, would also be a hub for research and innovation, where solutions would be developed to meet the challenges of modern mining.

Addressing students and stakeholders at the opening, Mr. Joseph Frimpong, the Chief Inspector of Mines, said the demonstration Mine represented a patriotic investment in their future and served as a living laboratory where Ghanaian students would gain hands-on experience, bridging theory with practice.

He added that it was a beacon of national pride, showing the world that Ghana was not only rich in mineral resources, but rich in talents, ingenuity, and dedication.

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For the students, Mr. Frimpong said the facility represented a call to service and reminded them that their education was not just for personal advancement, but for the prosperity of Ghana and the dignity of its people.

He stressed that the skills acquired at the facility should be dedicated to building industries that uplifted communities, protected the environment, and strengthened the nation.

This project stood as proof that Ghana was determined to lead in sustainable mining, to train engineers who were globally competitive but deeply committed to their homelands, and to ensure that their natural wealth became a blessing for generations to come, Mr. Frimpong said.

According to him, mining engineering was practical and field-based, adding that, it was therefore highly commendable that Prof. Amankwah and his team, created a real underground model on campus to help current and future students understand underground conditions first-hand.

He emphasised that the model was not intended to replace the usual industrial attachments on the Mines.

He, therefore, urged mining companies to make such attachments readily accessible to university and technical students as part of their corporate social responsibility.

📰 Source: Joy Online Ghana