Stakeholders discuss mining and its negative impacts on communities
Loss of livelihoods as a result of the takeover of farmlands by mining companies with its attendant economic and environmental problems have been identified as some of the major issues confronting mining communities.
Other problems are pollution, inadequate compensation payments, poor health and poor school attendance.
Mr Emmanuel Opare, Project Assistant of Projects Abroad’s section of Human Rights Organization (PAHO), a non-governmental organisation, stated these at a stakeholders’ forum on mining and its negative impact on mining communities held at Obuasi.
It was organised by PAHO in collaboration with WACAM, and attended by a cross-section of residents of mining communities, officials from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and officials of the Obuasi Municipal Assembly and the Amansie Central District Assembly.
Mr Opare said despite these challenges, mineral royalties paid by government were also not reaching these affected mining communities.
The Obuasi Municipal Programme Officer of EPA, Mr Prempeh Adarkwa Yiadom, suggested to the mining companies to set up scholarship foundations to help children whose parents had lost their livelihoods through mining operations, to continue their education.
He announced that government was seriously working on a new legislative instrument that would streamline, regulate and strengthen the payment of appropriate compensation to communities and individuals who lost their properties as a result of mining activities.
Mr John Alexander Kobina Ackon, Obuasi Municipal Chief Executive, acknowledged the current healthy relationship that existed between AngloGold Ashanti and the Municipal Assembly, stressing that “such collaboration had helped solve many of the community’s problems”.
He advised the people in the mining communities to handle compensation payment issues “as a business”, urging them to look for competent persons to lead them in such matters.
Mr Richard Ellimah, WACAM Programme Officer, explained that the stakeholders were brought together to discuss major concerns raised by people in the mining communities with the view to creating healthy company-community relationships.
He indicated that WACAM did not hate mining operations per se, but would continue to speak against irresponsible mining that created hardship for the people and led to human rights abuses.
Source: GNA