WACAM HOLDS GROUP CONFAB

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Thursday, November 17, 2016

The 5^th conference of Wacam’s Community Groups has ended in Kumasi with a resolve to push for reforms in the mining laws that would benefit all stakeholders including communities affected adversely by mining.

The four-day conference themed “Community-based mining advocacy: The key to the protection of community rights,” was attended by representatives from Tarkwa, Prestea/Dumasi, Nzema, Kenaysi, Donkro-Nkwanta, Obuasi, Mumuadu, Akyem Nkwarteng, Akyem Adausena and Sheini Zones.

They participants took their time to discuss pertinent issues like mining law reforms, moratorium on the granting of mining leases, mining in forest reserves, illegal mining operations (galamsey), protection of water bodies from pollution, regulatory weaknesses as well as national forum on mining.

The participants agreed that the current Minerals and Mining Act, Act 703, 2006 provides adequate protection for the multinational mining companies and not the surface rights of affected mining communities and called for its review without delay.

“Conference notes further that the Minerals and Mining Act, does not have important provisions such as the Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) which would empower host communities to reject or accept a mining project based on the knowledge of the benefits and negative effects of mining on their livelihoods and pollution of the environment among others.”

They also expressed worry that “the visible environmental challenges of mining, the Minerals and Mining Act does not contain provisions on the Polluter Pays’ Principle (PPP),” and said Wacam was prepared to share  its mining advocacy experiences in the mining law reforms based on its Sample Mining Bill which was launched recently.

The participants also expressed deep worry that the mining communities had been compelled to live with serious economic, social, cultural and environmental consequences of the current mining boom and added that “the granting of more mining leases would exacerbate the destruction of the environment of the mining communities and worsen their living conditions.”

“Conference expresses deep worry that government has granted mining leases to multinational mining companies to undertake open cast mining in forest reserves which are of biodiversity significance. For example, government has granted mining lease for Newmont Akyem mine to undertake surface mining operations in Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve which according to Newmont’s research, contains about ten (10) species of plants that are new to science and a mining lease to AngloGold Ashanti to mine in Kubi Forest Reserve.”

The conference further said “there are plans to permit surface mining in Tano Suraw Forest Reserve, Obonsam Bepo Forest Reserve in addition to the Atewa Range Forest Reserve, Fure and Tano Offin forest reserves which are part of Ghana’s thirty (30) Globally Significant Biodiversity Areas.”

They called on the government to suspend all mining activities in forest reserves and ensure the withdrawal of the mining leases granted to mining companies to undertake mining in such protected areas.