House of Chiefs asks mining companies for business plans

Sunyani, July 20, GNA - Nana Kwame Korang IV, Vice-President of the Brong-Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs, on Thursday appealed to mining companies in the region to furnish the House with copies of their business plans to enable it update members about their operations. Newmont for instance, he said, has extended its coverage on the allocated land for mining without the knowledge of many chiefs whose lands had been affected, he said, adding that this has brought about some misunderstandings between the people and the company over non-payment of compensation.

Nana Korang VI, who is the chief of Awua-Domase Traditional Area, made the appeal on behalf of the President of the House, Okatakyie Agyemang Kudom IV, when Ms. Joyce Aryee, Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Chamber of Mines met with the chiefs on how to evolve strategies to maximize profits in the mining areas.

He held that knowledge about business plans of the mining companies would help to harmonise the relationship between mining companies and communities since such information would be shared among community members.

He appealed to the mines to direct a significant proportion of their corporate social responsibility toward human resource development by sponsoring needy but brilliant students in such communities for tertiary education.

Ms Aryee called for support and effective collaboration between the Chamber and chiefs to stop the activities of unlicensed or illegal mining operations.

"Galamsey operators sometimes use very harmful chemicals, which pollute water bodies", she said, adding that although the law permitted anyone to mine, should be conducted legally.

The Chief Executive said the Chamber was not against the role played by the Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM), a pressure group that advocates for responsible mining. "The Chamber's doors are always open to suggestions from any quarters but it is however against the exaggerations of issues by the group", she said.

Ms Aryee urged chiefs to liaise with the Town and Country Planning Department to develop a master plan for their lands to ensure proper planning and development of mining areas. She expressed concern about the ignorance of farmers and workers to invest in big companies to maximize their investment shares. Ms Aryee urged Ghanaians to disabuse their minds of the perception that all mining operations have negative effect on the environment, saying mining companies have comprehensive programmes to address environmental issues.

"Today's world is knowledge-based. That kind of thinking is for those who lived in the medieval times", he added. She called for periodic consultative meetings between chiefs and the Chamber to discuss and deepen understanding in their areas.