Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw Owusu
Saturday March 19, 2011.
A group calling itself Concerned Youth of Prestea in the Western Region has challenged Golden Star Resources Limited, a Canadian mining firm operating in the Western Region to show the whole world the $50 million it claims it has spent on the mine in Prestea.
According to them, the company is trying to mount public relations stunt to get government’s endorsement in order to continue to exploit the local people who are directly bearing the brunt of the company’s activities.
Last week several media outlets reported that GSRL had spent $50 million on care and maintenance, mine rehabilitation and training of over 150 newly-recruited employees in preparation for the re-opening of Prestea underground mine.
GSRL team, led by Daniel Owiredu, Vice-President Operations, Ghana, paid a courtesy call on Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Mike Hammah to formally introduce the company to him since assuming office as sector head.
However, the concerned youth, in a statement to the media signed by Michael Osei Boadu said, “We would like to draw the attention of all Ghanaians and the world at large to the falsehood churned out by GSRL during a meeting with the Sector Minister which was reported in sections of the media. The company told the Minister that it has spent over $50 million in the area.”
“We find the position of GSRL very strange, since the former administration offered to give the Prestea underground mines to the company in 2001 nothing has been done by the company. Rather it decided to embark on surface mining which was not the reason why the government at the time considered the company for the takeover.
“It may interest Ghanaians to know that the Prestea underground is in the state that it was left by the last operators.”
They said “the number of newly-recruited employees that GSRL talked about beats our imagination as there are no indications that such people have been recruited. “Even if it is anything to go by, how many of them are from Prestea because the unemployment situation in the area is worsening.”
The youth said GSRL officials told the Minister that licensing processes had stalled because the company was unable to hold public hearings in the community.
“This is an indication that the company is not doing things right and we call on the authorities to visit the company’s areas of operation to verify things for themselves.”
“We sincerely believe that the company’s claim is one of its gimmicks to outwit the government to issue the license to it to help in perpetrating ills against the good people of Prestea.”
They promised to “go all out” to oppose any attempt to allow the company to mine in the area.
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