Ghana Consolidated Diamonds inaugurates Board of Directors
Newly-established Great Consolidated Diamonds Ghana Limited (GCDGL), has inaugurated a seven-member Board of Directors to steer the affairs of the Company.
The company, which is a member of the Jospong Group of Companies, inaugurated the board at a brief ceremony in Accra on Friday, October 7, 2011.
In his welcome address, the CEO of the Group, Mr. Siaw Agyepong intimated that the time has come for Ghanaians to take their destiny into their own hands with regard to the exploitation and management of the nation’s resources, which hitherto have been left in the hands of foreign entities to the detriment of the nation and its people.
“Though mining has never been a part of the line of business of the Jospong Group, the burning desire to demonstrate that the Ghanaian is capable of managing his own affairs was the driving force behind the bid for the Akwatia Diamond Mines when it was put on divestiture in 2006”, Mr. Agyepong explained.
The astute business magnate under whose leadership the Jospong Group has given birth to so many businesses in recent times, creating so many job for Ghana’s youth, thanked the government for reposing such trust and confidence in a Ghanaian entrepreneur, by entrusting the Akwatia mines into the hand of the Jospong Group.
He assured that GCDGL will deliver beyond the expectations of all and called on Ghanaian businessmen and entrepreneurs to take hold of the country’s destiny and help to accelerate its development.
The new GCDGL Board, which is made up of highly-competent and very accomplished individuals with vast experience in industry and the corporate world, has Mr. Charles Ofori a banker and investment analyst as its chairman.
Other members of the board are the Managing Director, Mr. A. Antwi Boasiako, formerly of Pioneer Food Cannery Ltd and celebrated HR practitioner, Mr. Kwame Djan, a renowned legal practitioner, Alhaji Yakubu Iddrisu, a renowned geologist and former Head of Geology at the University of Ghana, Legon, Mr. Kofi Obeng, Chartered Accountant and former Financial Controller of SIC, Nana Akwasi Boateng III, the Akwatiahene and Mr. Maxwell Amihere, a legal practitioner and secretary to the board.
Conducting the swearing-in ceremony, Mr. Yaw Opoku, a legal practitioner, exhorted these distinguished personalities to see their call to serve on the Board as a huge honour and charged them to work hard to repay the confidence and faith reposed in them, in order to bring honour to themselves, the company and the nation as a whole.
Mr. Opoku further entreated members of the Board to discharge their duties with devotion, diligence, impartiality and truthfulness at all times.
In response to their charge, the Chairman of the newly-constituted board, Mr. Charles Ofori, on behalf of the entire board, thanked the CEO and the whole Jospong Group for conferring on them such honour and highly esteemed responsibility. He expressed the Board’s preparedness to execute its mandate conscientiously and build a great company, which all stakeholders will feel very proud to be associated with.
Mr. Ofori further indicated that the Board will ensure that GCDGL remains committed to improving the quality of life of the people of Akwatia and adjourning communities and also strive to work in harmony with small scale miners in the area to derive mutually beneficial results for all.
The Deputy Minister for Information, Hon. Baba Jamal who incidentally hails from Akwatia, expressed his utmost joy at the successful divestiture of the Mine and expressed the hope that the rejuvenated mine will restore Akwatia to its former vibrant state and improve the livelihoods of the indigenes of the area. He further pledged the total support of government for the operations of the company.
The august ceremony, was chaired by the Acting Chairman and Cape Coast Area Head of the Church of Pentecost, Rev. Albert Amoah was attended by several high profile dignitaries including the Paramount Chief of Akwatia.
By Edmund Smith-Asante