CHRISTIAN COUNCIL GOT IT WRONG - NGOs

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

A group of NGOs have challenged claim by Rev. Dr. Kwabena Opuni Frimpong, General Secretary of Christian Council that the Ahafo Mine of the Newmont Ghana Gold Limited is a responsible mining company in the country.

Rev. Dr. Opuni Frimpong reportedly commended the mining giant for their work recently when when a delegation of Inter-Faith based group made up of representatives of the Catholic Church and other denominations around the world visited the Newmont Ahafo mine recently.

Another member of the group, Dr Anna Falkenberg who is the Executive Director of the Socially Responsible Investment Coalition (SRIC) was also reported to have commended the company for high standards attained for its cyanide and tailings management.

However, the group is adamant that the Christian Council could use a few hours vitit to make definite conclusions about the mining company.

The statement was jointly endorsed by Augustine Niber for Center for Public Interest Law (CEPIL), Hannah Owusu-Koranteng (Mrs) for Wacam , Samuel Obiri for Centre for Environmental Impact Assessment(CEIA), James Kwabena Bomfeh (Jnr) for Youth for Action Ghana as well as Richard Ellimah for Centre for Social Impact Service (CeSIS).

According to the NGOs “there is a litany of social, environmental and economic problems associated with the operations of Newmont Ahafo mine which we are prepared to share with the Christian Council of Ghana to support the fact that  they cannot pass the test of a responsible mine.”

“There are many people in Ahafo area who have been physically and economically displaced by the mine and paid compensation that cannot restore their livelihoods. These poor farmers who have lost their indigenous lands and have their rivers polluted are seeking a strong voice of the Christian Council of Ghana to speak for them.”

They statement said “in our opinion, the statements by Rev. Opuni Frimpong and some members of the Faith-based group which glorifies the operations of the Newmont Ahafo Mine after a short guided tour of the mine.”

“It does not reflect the reality of the degree of environmental degradation, the economic and physical displacement of community people with its related poverty, the payment of paltry compensation to farmers, the pollution of rivers, the creation of rockwaste, human rights abuses, disposal of faecal matter into the rivers among others which have been associated with the company’s operations,” they claimed.

The statement said “We respectfully request the Christian Council of Ghana to have an independent assessment of the social, environmental, economic effects and the human rights violations associated with the operations of the mine from all stakeholders especially the mining communities and NGOs.”

They statement recalled that “when Newmont Ahafo Mine spilled cyanide into Community Rivers in October 2009, the company made frantic efforts to coverup the spillage which is a serious environmental crime that attracted a punitive fine of about $5 million imposed on the company by the government of Ghana.”

They said when the fine was finally paid, the DCE for the area decided to build a market when the communities were requesting for a hospital and that had since become a contentious issue which landed in court.

The statement said some communities in Kenyase have also taken legal action against Newmont Ahafo Mine on allegations of diverting its sewage into Community Rivers, which serve as their drinking water with serious health implications on the people.

“In the spirit of the biblical quotation that  the Lord judges in favour of the oppressed and gives them their right (Psalm 103.6), we are hopeful that you would provide us the opportunity to engage with your outfit in understanding the mining issues from the perspectives of the affected mining communities and NGOs,” the group told Christian Council.