Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw Owusu
Thursday February 3, 2011
ANGLOGOLD ASHANTI, a multinational mining company which was recently adjudged irresponsible by some two non-governmental organizations for its alleged corporate misdemeanor in Ghana, says such descriptions are nowhere near the reality on the ground.
In a press release issued in Accra on February 1, 2011, signed by John Owusu, General Manager, Public Affairs, the miner said: “We believe that AngloGold Ashanti’s nomination, in respect of its human rights abd environmental management performance in Ghana, is undeserved.
We seek to operate in these respects, and in all others, in a professional and socially and environmentally sensitive manner befitting a responsible corporate citizen. We believe that, on the whole, we do meet these goals, and are willing to be judged against them.
“Regarding the allegations related to the behavior of security personnel, we are aware of a number of allegations dating between 1995 and 2006, the last of which was very early in the life of AngloGold Ashanti’s work in Ghana. WACAM, which nominated us for this award, has confirmed that AngloGold Ashanti has interacted with them a great deal on these legacy cases, though it has been difficult to reach finality on events where there is no conclusive evidence, despite the best efforts of parties.
We take consolation that there have been no allegations of new incidents since 2006This is surely evidence that our efforts in this sphere, based on the voluntary principles on security and human rights framework, have born fruit.”
With the Public Eye Award for Irresponsible Corporate Behaviour for 2011 conferred on AngloGold Ashanti, it becomes the second multinational company in Ghana to win the award the Public Eye Award after Newmont Mining Corporation won both the Public Eye Global Award and the Public Eye Peoples’ Award for 2009 as the most irresponsible company in the world.
The Public Eye Awards mark a critical counterpoint to the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland and it seeks to name and shame companied involved in corporate scandals as a result of human rights abuses, environmental degradation, and impoverishment of local communities, among others.
The criteria for the Public Eye Peoples Award is through internet voting while the Public Eye Global Award is determined by a panel of experts and in the case of the global award, the organizers receive nominations and contributions from civil society organizations and other regulatory agencies.
The awards was instituted in 2000 by Berne Declaration and Friends of the Earth (in 2009 it was replaced by Greenpeace) and it reminds the corporate world that social and environmental misdeeds have consequences for the affected people and territory as well as the reputation of the offender.
It was Wacam, an organization campaigning against irresponsible mining in Ghana that nominated Anglo Gold Ashanti.
Making a case to support the nomination of AngloGold Ashanti on January 28, 2011 in Davos, Daniel Owusu Koranteng, Executive Director of Wacam said “my country Ghana is one of the mineral endowed developing countries with significant reserves of gold, bauxite, manganese, diamond, salt among others. It is estimated that more than 30 per cent of the land surface of Ghana is covered by gold deposits. Despite the high price of mineral commodities such as gold which had pushed many multinational gold mining companies to partake in the plundering of our resources, Ghana remains a poor country.”
He said Ashanti Goldfields Company which metamorphosed into AngloGold Ashanti in 2004 and currently operates the Iduapriem and Obuasi mines are accused of gross human rights violations and environmental problems that resulted from the operations of the then Ashanti Goldfields Company(AGC) in Obuasi.
“WACAM’s investigations confirmed that some of the violations included the use of Guard Dogs to chew suspects who trespass on the company’s concession especially illegal miners popularly described as ‘Galamsey’ operators. Some of the suspects who were arrested died whilst in the custody of the private security of the company and were detained in the private detention facility operated by AGC.”
He mentioned Clement Kofi Baffoh, a 27 year old man from Aduaneyede near Obuasi who was arrested by the mine security on June 9, 2004 at 4.30 pm on the suspicion of engaging in “galamsey” activities on the mine concession and subjected to severe beatings by the mine security officers until he collapsed and died at around 9.00pm adding “The murder of Baffoh occurred after the merger of AGC and AngloGold into AngloGold Ashanti.”
Mr. Owusu-Koranteng also mentioned Awudu Mohammed who he said was shot and arrested for trespassing but was framed up by the company as an armed robber and as a result was chained in his bed at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, adding “Anthony Baidoo was shot by a soldier at AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine while James Sarpong has had his farm taken forcibly for the establishment of Rock Waste Dump by company”
“AngloGold factored the gross human rights violations and environmental problems of AGC into the due diligence process of the merger and cannot run away from being held responsible for the liabilities of AGC when it had inherited its assets.”
He said the new AngloGold Ashanti ignored the human rights and environmental problems of its predecessor by using the legacy argument and also perpetuated the human rights violations and environmental problems thus worsening the living conditions of the poor communities.
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