The WAIMM groups provide the relevant platform for skill enhancement and knowledge sharing where specific professionals in the core sectors of the mining and petroleum industry meet, network and discuss pertinent and pressing specific issues in their field of practice.
The Executive Committee is the body mandated to provide long term strategic goals and corporate governance towards advancement of the objectives and interests of the WAIMM and shall exercise all powers of the Institute in conformity with the Constitution and Bye-laws in shaping the WAIMM towards current trends whilst maintaining the core objectives.
Our focus is to provide career and professional development to advance the knowledge and skillset of students, academia , industry professionals, and companies in the resources sector by creating the platform where they can access new and emerging advancement in industry practices.
Eric Asubonteng is the General Manager and Managing Director (MD) of AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi Mine and has worked with AngloGold Ashanti since 2013. Until this appointment as MD, Mr. Asubonteng was Head of Operations and Corporate Affairs of the Company’s Obuasi Mine and had full responsibility for managing the reputation of the company as head of Corporate Affairs.
He is a highly accomplished Finance Executive with 13 years’ experience in executive roles, both local and international, in both surface mining and underground operations. He has worked with Gold Fields Ghana and Gold Fields Australia. This has included financial management roles in the resources sector incorporating responsibility for financial and management accounting, financial management, supply chain, IT, business operations and restructuring, as well as operational management and corporate affairs.
Mr. Asubonteng is a chartered accountant. He holds a first degree from the University of Ghana Business School, an MBA from the Manchester Business School, and has a postgraduate certificate in Mining Engineering from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Mr. Eric Asubonteng is currently the President of the Ghana Chamber of mines. He is a Fellow of the WAIMM.
Mr. Kwesi Enyan is the Executive Director-General Operations of Rocksure International. He is a mining engineer and a seasoned professional in the Industry with 30 years remarkable experience across both regulatory bodies and Mining concerns. Mr Enyan has held many senior positions in the Mining industry, where he has particularly achieved turnaround situations in challenging operations. Until recently, he was the Managing Director for AngloGold Ashanti’s legendary Obuasi Mines and was particularly head-hunted to fulfil the long term objectives of the Company. He is undoubtedly an asset to the team. Mr. Enyan holds a Bsc Degree in Mining Engineering and an AMP program from the Harvard Business School, Boston, and Mass USA. Kwesi Enyan is a Fellow of the WAIMM.
Dr. Jeffrey Coffin is a member of the general management team of the Knight Piésold Consulting for West Africa, North and South America. He is the immediate regional manager – West Africa of Knight Piésold Consulting. He has thirteen years of civil and geotechnical engineering consulting experience and four years with a major “Research One” university at the graduate level. His project experience includes geotechnical analysis and design for tailings facilities, heap leach facilities, and waste rock facilities. His specialization is the characterization and modelling of the consolidation of soft soils, such as mine tailings, which undergo considerable strain during the consolidation process.
He has been involved in the KP consulting for Chirano Gold Mine, Ghana which included the design of two brown-field expansions, and a raise to an existing tailings storage facility. Jeff was also involved in the construction oversight of a brown-field expansion and detailed design of future raises for the facility at the Golden Star Ghana Wassa Gold mine in Ghana. He has also been involved in many geotechnical investigations, auditing and feasibility in many mines across the world including La Colpa Gold Mine- Cile, Polymet Project-USA, Rosemont Copper Project- USA, and Sierra Rutile Mine, Sierra Leone among others. He has a PhD, Civil Engineering, and Geotechnical Program from the University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado-USA.
Richard Adofo is a geologist with over 25years experience providing mineral exploration, resource and technical services to the mining industry across the world. He has a vast experience in consulting, mineral resource modelling and geological domains in both underground and open pit operations. He has an Executive MBA (2011) in Systems Thinking and Business Management and a Post Graduate Diploma (2006) in Management Practices from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. He completed a Bsc in Geological engineering and Msc (1994) in Mineral Exploration from then UST School of Mines – Kumasi.
Richard has worked in line management from a graduate geologist to Geology Manager in the AngloGold Ashanti group in Ghana and Tanzania: also, Africa Geology Manager Barrick Gold Corporation (Tanzania) and Director, Geology in the African Barrick Gold (Johannesburg, SA). More recently he was the Director, Geology for Barrick Gold (Toronto, Canada).
Richard Adofo is currently the Vice President, Global Brownfield Exploration for Kinross Gold Corporation, Canada.
Mr. Peter Sampson is the Executive Director of Jescom International Ltd for the past nine years. He has over thirty years’ experience in Mining projects, Operations and Mine Management in Ghana, and the West Africa Sub Region.
Mr. Sampson joined Chirano Gold Mines, a subsidiary of Kinross gold as a Mining Manager for three years (2008 – 2011). Prior to that, he spent nine years as a Mining Manager at Anglogold Ashanti, Iduapriem Mine.
He Understands management organizations and structures and fully committed to the localization of the Indigenous people within company organization structures at the mine sites.
He is experienced in both Owner (+15 years) Mining and Contractor(10 years) mining operations, general management (HR, Administration & Finance, IT, Procurement & Logistics, Health & Safety, Security, Training, etc.) and on a number of occasions served as Alternate General Manager/Managing Director.
Peter has over 10 year’s hands on experienced at Mine Planning and NI 43-101/JORC/SEC compliant Ore Reserves Statements.
He holds a MSc (Mining Engineering) from the KNUST School of Mines (2000 – 2004) educated with Mine Manager Certificate of Competency OHSAS 18001 and ISO14001 experienced Governmental and Community Relations.
Mr. Peter Sampson is committed to ensuring Safe working practices in all aspects of Mining operations.
Frederick Attakumah is currently the Executive Vice President and Country Director of Asante Gold Corp., a position he has occupied since April 2022.
Prior to his current role, he was the Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Galiano Gold (formerly Asanko Gold Ghana) Limited.
He has about 30 years’ experience in the mining industry. Fred has held a number of senior management roles including Senior Vice President – Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Asanko Gold Ghana, Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti (Ghana), Vice President – Sustainability of AngloGold Ashanti’s operations in Ghana and General Manager – Engineering Services, among others.
His management experience spans operations, projects and sustainability. Fred has been a strong advocate for the positive role of the mining industry in the socio-economic development of African countries and the criticality of a multi-stakeholder approach in realizing this vision.
He has contributed to various local and international panels, including the Mining Indaba, on this topic.
He was previously the first Vice President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines and concurrently served as a member of the Governing Council of the Private Enterprise Federation.
As regards international bilateral trade, Fred has also served as President of the Canada Ghana Chamber of Commerce (CGCC) during which period he led initiatives that resulted in establishment of strategic partnerships and deepening of private sector relations between Ghana and Canada.
He holds a B.Sc. (Hons) degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering (KNUST, Ghana), a Master of Business Administration degree (Henley Business School, UK), and is an alumnus of the Wharton School’s Advanced Management Program (University of Pennsylvania, USA) as well as the Harvard Business School’s Creating Shared Value Program (Harvard University, USA).
Mr Stephen Kofi Ndede has an MSc (1993) in Mining Engineering from the Camborne School of Mines – UK, and has over 28years experience providing mine planning, mining project management and technical services in various mines and mining related organizations with a strong and proven track record of contract and owner mine management. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Management Practice and Business Administration (2007), from the Graduate School of Business, University of Cape Town, Post – graduate Diploma in Mining Engineering (1988) from the University of Science & Technology – School of Mines (now UMaT) Tarkwa, Ghana where he completed his BSc (1987) in mining engineering.
He is currently the General Manager at Perseus Mining Ghana has since 1988 been involved in the management, mining inputs, providing technical support and project evaluation of both distressed and high risk mining projects around West Africa. Mr Ndede joined Tongon Mine in Cote D’ Ivoire spent three years (2010 to 2013) as Operational Manager responsible for managing an integrated team of Mining, Mineral Resource, Processing, Engineers. Prior to that he spent about 11years (1998 to 2009) at Morila, Bibiani and Iduapriem mines where he lead a team for mine planning, reserve estimation, budgeting and life of mine plans in the capacity as a Mining manager. Mr Ndede has undertaken both part and full time lecturing at the mining department of KNUST (1994 – 1996) in mineral economics & evaluation, Mining Principles and mining finance.
Mr Kofi Ndede has been a member of the governing council since 2015 and also serves as the Chair of the Mining Society and other memberships on the Ethics and Professional Committee. He believes in the training and mentorship of mining professionals in Ghana and West Africa and providing networking opportunities to further the professionalism in the industry.
He is a professional mining engineer and has a Mine Manager’s certificate from the Ghana’s Mines Inspectorate. He is a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (AusIMM) and the Institution of Mining, Metallurgy and Materials (MoM3).
The Honorable Mrs. Quartey is Managing Partner and Founding Director of BVM Advisory Services (GH) Ltd and has been with BVM Advisory since its inception in January 2000. She is also currently a director of BVM Advisory. She is a finance executive with more than 26 years’ experience in the areas of management, finance, development and operations in the precious metals industry, banking and public finance. She has led major mining treasury, corporate and project finance operations, and recently managed the real sector, revenue and tax policies of the government of Ghana. Mrs. Quartey was the Group Treasurer of Ashanti Goldfields Company from October 1991 until 1999 when she resigned to set up her advisory firm. She worked for Citibank NA in the USA from 2004 until 2008 when she returned to Ghana to continue running her advisory firm. Mrs. Quartey was the Deputy Finance Minister of the Republic of Ghana from 2014 to 2017 and served as alternate Governor to the World Bank Board and African Development Bank Board during same time. Mrs. Quartey holds a Bachelor’s degree in Development Planning from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and a Master’s degree in Business Administration (Finance) from Dalhousie University. She has recently completed a LLM (International Commerce) degree from Salford University, UK. Mrs. Quartey served as a director of GCB Bank Ghana Ltd. from July 2014 to January 2017, Ghana Water Company Ltd. from January 2013 to January 2017, Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, GH from July 2014 to January 2017, Social Security National Investment Trust, GH from July 2014 to January 2017 and SIMNET Ghana Ltd. July 2013 to August 2016. Mrs. Quartey is also currently the local Chair of Board of Chifeng Golden Star Resources Wassa mine, MOKASA Women’s Trust Foundation (Ghana) and Green Pastures & Still Waters (GH) Ltd.
Lawrence Omari-Mensah has over 20 years’ experience working in mineral exploration, resource and petroleum geoscience in Ghana and Internationally. He holds an MSc in Applied Petroleum Geoscience from the University of Derby in the UK and completed his undergraduate education at the University of Mines and Technology in Ghana where he studied Geological Engineering.
Lawrence has held various technical and leadership roles in a wide range of geological terrains on projects from grassroots exploration to feasibility and resource. He has managed, supervised and coordinated exploration programs and project generation initiatives in Ghana, as well as other resources in both French and English speaking West African countries; has also performed other geological/geoscientific investigations and programs in the UK. He has also been involved in the discovery and feasibility studies of several gold deposits in Ghana, Liberia, Guinea and Burkina Faso
Mr. Omari-Mensah has been the CEO of K-3 Resources West Africa Ltd since 2013. Prior to that he worked for major mining companies including Ampella Mining Ltd, Coffey Mining, Goldfields Limited and Surpac Mining Software (Africa) Limited now Dassault Systems. He joined Ampella Mining Ltd, as a Senior Geologist from 2011- 2013, where he was also the Safety committee chairman after a brief stint at Coffey Mining West Africa Ltd as a Senior Project Geologist. He was the Ghana Manager and Sales/Technical Consultant for Surpac Africa Pty Ltd (2006 – 2007) where he was the first black African Technical consultant employed by the Surpac group.
Lawrence has also been involved in the provision of professional development initiatives for both engineers and other supporting services at every stage of his career. This has included conducting training and providing technical support services to geologists and mining engineers in the Surpac mining software among others.
Lawrence Omari – Mensah is the founding President of WAIMM and his resolve is that industry professionals in the West African sub region need to be provided with a platform that will enhance their career and professional development and create opportunities that will give them a transformation change by exposing them to greater knowledge in new industry trends. He believes as professionals we need to safeguard the future of those intending to practice geology, mining, hydrocarbon production, metallurgy, and related disciplines in future and let them know they have a voice and an identity; we can only do this by creating the tools that will spearhead future professionals to greater heights and save the industry. Mr. Omari-Mensah is of the firm conviction that all these issues would be addressed through first class networking, knowledge sharing and professional development.
Lawrence has attended a number of industry related programs including the ore-deposit geochemistry and geochronology course at CODES – University of Tasmania. He is also a Member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, a Fellow of the Geological Society of London as well as a Member of the Ghana Institution of Geoscientists.
Mr. James Kwamena Anaman is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Rocksure International. Corporate Affairs Consultant with over 40 years’ experience in Diplomacy, Media, Public and Investor Relations. He is a past President of the Chamber of Mines and former Managing Director for Corporate Affairs for the erstwhile Ashanti Goldfields Company Ltd. He is a Director of Jislah Financial Services Ltd and Governing Council Member of the African University College of Communications. A graduate from the University of Ghana, he is also a Fellow of the Institute of Public Relations of Ghana and a past Member of the Investor Relations Society of the United Kingdom. James is a Fellow of the WAIMM.
Mr. Kwasi Osei Ofori is the Chief Executive Officer of Rocksure International. An experienced businessman, with over 30 years’ extensive practical involvement in the construction, mining and equipment rental business both in West Africa and Europe. He has developed a very strong world-wide network of heavy equipment suppliers, operators, financiers and a wide range of mining professionals. He has also developed considerable negotiating skills with which the Corporate interest gas been promoted in Governmental, NGO, community and other stakeholder circles. These contacts have provided deep insights and driven his vision and overall leadership role in the Company.
Professor Daniel Mireku-Gyimah is a chartered mining engineer and a professor of mining engineering with many years of professional and academic experience. He holds Dsc (Honoris causa), PhD (Computer-Aided Mine Design & Planning), Diploma of the Imperial College (DIC) from the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London and MSc (Mining Engineering) from the Moscow Mining Institute, Moscow.
Prof. Mireku-Gyimah powered the processes that upgraded the KNUST School of Mines into the Western University College of KNUST and also spearheaded the processes that transformed the College into the full-fledged University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa.
He is a Fellow of the Ghana Institution of Engineers: Member of Institution of Mining and Metallurgy, UK; New York Academy of Sciences, USA; Ghana Institution of Geoscientists, Ghana and American Society of Mining Engineers, USA. Prof. Mireku-Gyimah joined the KNUST School of Mines, as a lecturer in 1981 and rose steadily through the ranks to become the first full professor of the University of Mines and Technology in 1999. He has over 60 publications to his credit.
He has served on a number of Committees in the University including the following: Member of Executive Committee; Appointments and Promotions Committee; Search Committee for the Appointment of Vice Chancellor for KNUST; KNUST Statutes Review Committee; Chairman of the College of Engineering Committee, Chairman of Aerospace Engineering Committee and a Member (in attendance) of the KNUST Council.
Prof. Mireku-Gyimah has also served as Head of the Mining Engineering Department, the last Principal of the KNUST School of Mines at Tarkwa, the first and only Provost of the Western University College of KNUST.
He was the leader of the Panel, which drew up the computer science syllabus for polytechnics in the country; member of the National Disaster Management Organisation; the Technical Committee of the Ghana Chamber of Mines; the Editorial Board of the Ghana Journal of Science, Editor-in-Chief of the Ghana Mining Journal and Vice Chairman of the Wassa Fiase Education Fund.
Prof. Mireku-Gyimah is the Chairman of Tarkwa Hospital Endowment Fund, Chairman of Takoradi Polytechnic Council and has provided professional services to a number of mining companies in Ghana and abroad which has included: AngloGold Ashanti Ltd, Obuasi, Ghana; Ghana Manganese Company Ltd, Nsuta, Ghana; Semafo Company Ltd of France, Panasqueira Mine of Portugal and Patrician Gold Resources of Canada.
Prof. Mireku-Gyimah is the originator of the collaboration between the University of Mines and Technology and other universities abroad including Penn State University and Montana Tech University in the USA. He is a member of the international Alliance for Earth Science and Engineering Development in Africa.
He is the foundation Vice Chancellor of the University of Mines and Technology and served in this role for 9 years (2004 – 2013) with a wealth of academic leadership, managerial, administrative and entrepreneurship skills as well as focused determination and dynamism to the University.
He is married to Prof. Patricia Beatrice Mireku-Gyimah, a Lecturer in Communications Skills at the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa with four children.
Daniel Owiredu is the immediate past President of Golden Star Resources Ltd. An eminent engineer, miner and business expert with over 30 years’ experience in the mining industry. He has worked in diverse senior management positions at Golden Star Resources (as the Executive VP, Chief Operating Officer, Executive VP-Operations, Vice President-Operations and a Board Member), Anglogold Ashanti and Ashanti Goldfields.
He served as the Managing Director and Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the then Ashanti Goldfields and the Deputy COO of Anglogold Ashanti, where he successfully managed the construction and operation of the Bibiani mine as well as the operation of the Siguiri (Guinea), Obuasi and Freda-Rebecca (Zimbabwe) mines.
Mr Owiredu rose through the ranks from Assistant Mechanical Engineer (upon joining Ashanti Goldfields), he became the first indigenous Chief Engineer of the underground mining operations at the Obuasi Mine.
He was instrumental in the construction and commissioning of the Obuasi Mine BIOX plant, the biggest biox plant in the world at the time.
Mr Owiredu holds BSC Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and an MBA from Strathclyde Business School in Scotland, UK.
As a former President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines (2010 to 2014) and former Chairman of the Ghana Commercial Bank Board (October 2014 to April 2017), Dan has contributed significantly to mining and business in Ghana, and was the leader of the executive task force which together with Johnson Harvey Consultants crafted the growth strategy for Ashanti Goldfields under the leadership and guidance of Sir Sam Jonah.
He is currently the Chairman for the Boards of Directors of Golden Star subsidiaries; Prestea and Wassa Ltd, the Council Chairman of Anglican University College of Technology and a member of the Ghana Business Community.
Mr. Sulemanu Koney is the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines the former Director for Analysis, Research and Finance. As a Director, he managed the industry’s engagements with stakeholders in the development of supply chain regimes, addressed security concerns and technical issues of the industry, in addition to the core scope of his portfolio.
Mr. Sulemanu Koney is a founding member of the Steering Committee of Ghana’s Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI). The Ghana EITI (GHEITI) provides a platform for the sharing of information among government, civil society and the companies on the Extractive industry.
Mr. Koney serves on the Boards of both private and public institutions, including the Board of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) of Ghana and the University of Mines and Technology. Before joining the Chamber, he worked with Shell Ghana Ltd. Mr. Koney is a Chemical Engineer.
He is also the Executive Director of the Ecowas Federation of Chamber of Mines.