Dr. Rael Lipson, United States (US)-based Consulting Geologist with Foundation, said it was also the way forward to trigger the discovery of more mineral deposits.  He made the call after he led student geologists from selected tertiary education institutions across the world on a 10-day field trip to nine mining areas in Ghana.

These included Iduaprim, Tarkwa, Wassa, Prestea, Obuasi, Pumase, Efasu, Chirano and Akyem.

The students were drawn from Brazil, Guyana, US, Canada, United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Niger, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Africa. The SEGF is an international organisation made up of academics, professionals and government employees working in various geology agencies the world over.

It aims to provide practical exposure to its members and explore the use of economic geology to better the lives of people in rich-resource nations. Established in 1920 in the US, with its headquarters in Colorado, it has 7,000 members globally and they are from100 countries.

Dr. Lipson said the Society wanted to establish strong presence - footprint in Ghana by setting up a student chapter in one of the universities to aid the development of geology. He expressed satisfaction with the quality of geology application in the country’s mining industry.

Another Consulting Geologist of the Society, Dr. Bob Foster, called for strict enforcement of mining laws to safeguard the environment. “The big mining firms should also work hand-in-hand with the artisanal miners to help manage and direct them so as to minimise the negative environmental impact.”

Jamie Price, a student from the Cardiff University, Wales, UK, said he was impressed by the involvement of the indigenes in the operations of the multinational mining companies and for sticking to internationally accepted standards in the exploration and processing of gold ore.

The health and safety standards were the other highpoints.