Minerals Commission Take Okyenhene To Task

The Ghana Minerals Commission has described as unfortunate and unfavorable, comments attributed to the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin on the mining industry. Speaking at the 6th National Governance Workshop in Accra on Wednesday, the Okyenhene expressed regret at the deplorable state of mining communities and called on government to look at other alternative areas such as eco-tourism for development, rather than mining.

He challenged any member of the public to “tell me what town in this country that has been mined that anybody can be proud of”.

The Okyenhene did not leave his criticism on the mining companies empty. He gave alternative suggestions on what government should do in place of mining. “We can go into eco-tourism, we can go into agro-forestry plantation. We keep using Malaysia as an example - a country which we were at par with and what they did was palm plan, we can look at that’, he suggested.

But the Ghana Minerals Commission has described Osagyefo Amoatia’s comments as an affront on national interest as it seeks to discourage the mining sector, which is the first foreign exchange earner for the country.

The Director of Monitoring and Evaluation at the Commission, Amponsah Tawiah, told Joy FM that Osagyefo Amoatia’s comments are direct attack on the country’s interest in the mining industry, which has contributed immensely to the growth of the economy.

He also noted that the Okyenhene’s assertions indicate that he just has not noticed and kept track of the numerous benefits mining communities derive from mining activities. “If you so to Tarkwa, if you go to Obuasi, if you go to Bibiani, wherever mining activities has been going on, you will realize a lot of development, not by the mining companies, but by the individuals … most of them are actually deriving their wealth from mining companies”, Mr Tawiah added.

According to him, Bibiani, for example which was a small town, with only one commercial vehicle plying various routes, has developed into a big commercial town.

Mining companies in the past have come under similar criticisms from some society groups like the Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining, WACAM, and the Third World Network who believe mining companies have not done enough to improve the lot of communities where mining take place.