Barimah Twumasi Bekoe II, a member of the Board of Governors of the Jegri Bekala Limited, a mining company, says the company’s selection to mine in the Dormaa Central Municipality and Dormaa East District in the Bono Region is based on merit.

He explained that based on their track record, the company was given the go ahead to undertake large scale surface/alluvial gold mining activities in the area.

Barimah Bekoe II, also the Twaforhene (sub-chief) of the Dormaa Traditional Council said: “Osagyefo Oseadeyo Agyemang Badu II, the Paramount Chief of the Dormaa Traditional Area has taken a firm decision to outlaw illegal mining in the area”.

His decision is basically because of the visible and negative impact of galamsey, causing widespread and extensive damage, devastation and destruction to forest, natural vegetation and environment, as well as plundering natural resources, polluting water bodies and the manifestation of all kinds of disease as well as health hazards in communities”.

Barimah Bekoe II stated that “the Dormaahene finally settled on Jegri Bekala Limited after a complete scrutiny by carefully investigating and checking the backgrounds of the three mining companies”.

Barimah Bekoe II, also the Chief of Kofiasua in the Traditional Area, was speaking at a stakeholder’s engagement, organised by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) at Aboabo Number Two.

Attended by chiefs and queens, assembly members, and community leaders, the meeting sought to discuss Jegri Bekala Limited’s alluvial gold mining activities at Amasu in the Municipality and Kyeremasu in the Dormaa East District.

Barimah Bekoe II explained that checks showed that the Jegri Bekala Limited had a global track record of responsible mining, saying the company’s policy forced it to recruit 60 percent of the labour force of skilled and unskilled labour from within the local communities.

He said: “Where there is no skilled labour, they employ persons outside the local communities. That means if there’s an engineer in the community, the engineer will be considered first rather than an outsider”.

Barimah Bekoe II explained that the company would have terms of agreement and negotiations with landowners, households and farmers whose property were within its concessional area for compensation, assuring that “Jegri Bekala is here completely for the development”.