Golden Star Wassa retains national safety crown

November 6, 2026

2 minutes read

GOLDEN Star Wassa Mine has won the National Inter-Mines First Aid and Safety Competition organised by the Ghana Chamber of Mines in partnership with the St. John Ambulance Service and the Minerals Commission for the fourth consecutive time.

The competition, which precedes the annual mining industry awards, saw Golden Star Wassa Mine emerge winners in both the practical and oral categories.

The competition is held annually to demonstrate how industrial health, safety and emergency response measures help safeguard lives. This year’s theme was “Safety First, Safety Always”.

The annual competition bridges the gap between mining operations and the public through two categories: mine teams, comprising specialised employees trained to handle high-stakes industrial medical scenarios, and community teams, made up of residents from local host communities equipped with basic lifesaving skills.

During the practical competition, participating teams are given first aid and safety scenarios to enact and resolve.

The final of this year’s practical competition was hosted and won by Golden Star Wassa Mine on October 31, after it beat competition from Asante Gold Bibiani, Adamus Resources and Asante Gold Chirano in three rounds of first aid and safety scenarios.

Golden Star Wassa emerged winners with 57.5 points, followed by Asante Gold Bibiani with 53 points, Adamus Resources with 50.5 points and Asante Gold Chirano with 48.5 points.

One week later, the oral competition took place on the popular What Do You Know? programme on national radio and television.

Golden Star Wassa again proved too strong for its opponents by winning the contest and subsequently being crowned champions of the 2026 Inter-Mines First Aid and Safety Competition.

In an interview, the elated Chief Executive Officer of Golden Star Wassa Mine, Mr Lianghua Lin, stressed that first aid was a powerful expression of humanity.

“First aid is a powerful expression of humanity. When someone is injured or in distress, what matters most is not their company, nationality or background. What matters is that someone is ready and willing to help. That is the spirit we must celebrate today,” he said.

The annual event addresses critical economic and social issues within the extractive industry.

Emergency response is a business-critical asset because immediate first aid readiness mitigates risks, protects infrastructure and eliminates operational downtime caused by unforeseen incidents.

This was the 16th edition of the competition, and Golden Star Wassa Mine’s latest success has extended its record to 10 zonal championship titles and four consecutive national titles.

Editorial note: The original report mentions both mine teams and community teams but provides results only for the mine-team competition. If community-team results are available, they should be included for completeness.

BY TIMES REPORTER

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