Stay away from AngloGold Ashanti’s concession – illegal miners warned
Mr. Elijah Adansi-Bonah, the Municipal Chief Executive of Obuasi, has issued a warning to illegal miners operating on the concession of AngloGold Ashanti, Obuasi Mine, to immediately stop such activities.
The MCE gave this directive during an interaction with the media on the sidelines of a General Assembly Meeting at Obuasi.
It would be recalled that some illegal miners were captured in a viral video absconding with their booty after invading underground sites of AngloGold Ashanti at Obuasi.
Again some 30 illegal miners were recently arrested by soldiers while allegedly mining on a concession belonging to AngloGold Ashanti.
Mr. Adansi-Bonah said the phenomenon was worrying and a cause for national concern considering the importance of AngloGold Ashanti to the socio-economic development of Ghana.
“This issue is sensitive. It is not about AngloGold Ashanti nor the Obuasi Municipal Assembly. Such activities of illegal miners on the concessions of AngloGold Ashanti were one of the reasons the company almost folded up around 2014/2015,” he noted.
He said the company had contributed tremendously to the socio-economic development of Obuasi since 2019 when the company resumed operations, saying that any intrusion on the concessions of the company would undermine efforts made by the Government in reviving the Obuasi Mine.
The MCE, therefore, appealed to residents of Obuasi to take advantage of the numerous opportunities presented by AngloGold Ashanti in both direct and indirect jobs rather than engaging in illegal activities that could lead to the closure of the Mine.
Illegal mining in the concessions of AngloGold has been a major challenge to the operations of the company, which has over the years struggled to deal with menace.
In 2016, the company threatened to leave the country on the back of the government’s failure to take steps to stop the invasion of its concession by illegal miners.
Mr. Eric Asubonteng, the Managing Director of AngloGold Ashanti, told the media that activities of illegal miners had compromised the security of the Mine, thereby affecting its smooth operations.
“Our concessions are not safe and if the activities of illegal miners will continue without the Government doing anything about it, then we will advise ourselves” he observed.
Source: GNA