Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, says President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will soon cut the sod for work to soon commence on a US$ 450 million manganese refinery at Nsuta in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality of the Western Region.   The Government has already concluded negotiations with the majority shareholder of Ghana Manganese Company Limited.   The refinery would upgrade the quality of manganese from the current 27 per cent to about 40 per cent, leading to the production and export of various refined products, including battery-grade manganese, one of the key components for the production of batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage systems.  Mr Jinapor announced this in Tarkwa when he delivered a keynote address at the opening of the Eighth University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Tarkwa Biennial International Mining and Mineral Conference.  The programme was on the theme: 'Innovations in Mining and Mineral Processing: Expanding the Frontiers of Mining Tec hnology.'   The move clearly demonstrated the government's preparedness for value addition to critical minerals produced in the country, he said. 'We believe this will result in economic diversification and job creation and position the country to leverage her mineral wealth to drive industrialisation and enhance our competitiveness on the global stage,' he added.  The Minister said to achieve this goal, it was imperative to invest in a comprehensive geological investigation to identify and adequately quantify their critical mineral resources as a basis for a diversified and information-based mining sector.  There was also the need to invest in infrastructure, technology, and human capital to support the development of a robust minerals value chain, he said. Institutions such as the UMaT should continue to promote research and development and establish appropriate skills and training programmes to produce the requisite capacities and facilities necessary to build and manage processing plants to add value to the critical minerals they produced.  Mr Jinapore indicated that they must train people to acquire the necessary expertise and the wherewithal to add value to their minerals locally and develop innovations that made value addition more cost effective, efficient and easy.  The Government had already put in place the policy and regulatory frameworks to incentivise and support investment in value-added activities.   'The Green Minerals Policy approved by Cabinet, for instance, provides for incentives for investments as one moves higher on the value chain of the industry' he said.   'These incentives can only be harnessed if we build the necessary technologies and innovations that make value addition in Ghana competitive and cost effective.' As academic institutions, they must drive research leading to the requisite innovation and development of products and services based on their resources, which would harness globally available technology to meet local and global needs.  He emphasized that Ghana's path forward in critical minerals industry was based on the intensification of research and development for value addition to its resources.  Mr Jinapor said greater collaboration was required between regulators of the industry, industry players, universities and research institutions, the private sector, and international partners to unlock the full potentials of their mineral wealth, ensuring prosperity for all Ghanaians.  He said: 'Adding value to our critical minerals is not just desirable, but crucial to reaping their full benefits for national development.'  'These minerals are not just commodities, but enablers of progress. Prioritizing their value addition will enhance our competitiveness in the mining industry, and contribute, significantly, to socio-economic development and unleash the much-desired prosperity for our people. The Government, obviously, cannot do it alone.' 'Public private partnership is, therefore, crucial, to drive investment in smelting, refining, and manufacturing'.  Prof Richard Kwasi Amankwah, Vice Chancellor of UMaT, said the conference was to create a platform where researchers, engineers, academics and all mining and innovation enthusiasts came together to discuss their research and present findings.   About 80 different presentations would be made on research and ideas as to how to move the minerals industry of Ghana forward, and for the University that was very significant, he said.  A panel discussion on: 'Critical and Green Minerals: Ghana's Preparedness for Value Addition,' saw members like Mr Alidu Seidu, Ghana Geological Survey Authority, Mr Ahmed-Salim, Atlantic Lithium, Mr Benjamin Nii Ayi Aryee, Minerals Commission, and Dr Clement Owusu, UMaT making great contribution to the topic.  Source : Ghana News Agency