The University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) and Zaacoal Limited have signed a Joint Venture Agreement for the production of Activated Carbon. The ceremony took place in Accra on 14th April 2022 at the Head Office of the Ghana Chamber of Mines.
The signing of the Agreement was to harness and improve local content in the production of activated carbon to support the Ghanaian economy. The Ghana Chamber of Mines identified activated carbon as one of the inputs in mining that could be produced locally to support the economy hence, identified UMaT and Zaacoal Limited, a charcoal production company in Accra, as academia and industry partners to actualize this dream. Activated carbon import budget in Ghana is estimated at US$9M annually.
Under the Agreement, UMaT would provide expertise to support Zaacoal Limited in the production of the carbon to be used by the mining industry.
Present at the ceremony from UMaT included Prof Richard Amankwah, Vice Chancellor, Prof William Buah, Dean of Faculty of Mining and Minerals Technology and the Principal Investigator of the activated carbon project, Dr Frank Boateng, Institutional Advancement Officer, Mr Kweku Gyapong, Head, Legal Unit and Mr. Michael Bremfi, Business Development Manager.
Officials from the Chamber included the Chief Executive Officer, Dr Sulemanu Koney and Ms Lawrencia Awuah, Human Resource and Administrative Officer. Also in attendance to witness the ceremony were the Director-General of Ghana Standards Authority, Mr Sulley Amin, Chief Executive of Zaacoal Limited and officials from the Mining industry.
Participants at the meeting were optimistic that academia, industry and government interconnection on this project would add value to local content, lead to job creation and propel economic growth.
