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(March 31st, 2008) |
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Farmers resist Newmont operations in Ajenua Bepo Forest
A group calling itself the Concerned Farmers Association at New Abriem in the Eastern region have petitioned the government to withdraw the certificate given to Newmont Gold Ghana Limited (NGGL) to mine in the Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve.
According to them the forest reserve is the watershed for important rivers such as Owo Nta , Alotosu , Aprapon, Adenkyensu and Yaayaa which serve the various needs of many of the people in the area especially in this era of water crises.
In a petition signed by 215 farmers to the government and its related agencies, they said the Ajenua Mountain, together with the forest area improves the rainfall pattern in the region, thus boosting agriculture.
“Improved rainfall is important to us because as a people , we are predominately farmers and we know that agriculture would suffer greatly if mining is undertaken in the Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve,� They added.
They indicated that the forest reserve is the home for many animals, birds, butterflies and important trees and plants species which provide sustainable medicinal benefits that maintain the ecosystem and serve as a store of biodiversity.
According to the petitioners “The benefits to be derived from the Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserves are so enormous that we do not think that the short term revenues from mining in the Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserves would match the sustainable benefits of maintaining it�.
Furthermore they are of the opinion that , the farmers in the catchment area of the Akyem Project of NGGL have little to benefit if their lands are taken away from them for mining.
“Our forefathers knew the importance of preserving the forests for posterity that is why they supported the efforts of government in protecting our forest reserves�, say the 215 petitioners.
“Our petition against mining in the Ajenua Forest Reserve demonstrates our commitment to protect natural resources for posterity and we expect government to support our call for no mining in the Ajenua Forest Reserve,� they said.
Speaking in an interview on behalf of the petitioners Nana Kwabena Frimpong , a land lord with forty-one tenants expressed misgivings about the assertion by some stakeholders that the forest had been depleted and had lost its status as a forest reserve.
According to him such an assertion by the stakeholders is just a ploy to give a dog a bad name and hang it since; they have not been told the factors that rendered the forest a non-forest.
He was of the view that it was because the forest had the potential of becoming a major tourist attraction that led the colonial government and subsequent governments to conserve it for future generations.
Nana Frimpong revealed that NGGL at a forum at Adasina, one of the villages to be affected by the operations of the company indicated that their operations will be conducted in the forest reserve.
According to him, the Chief of the village, Nana Ntiamoah Bediako told the company that if they are to embark on surface mining in the forest reserve he would use all powers at his disposal to resist the act.
He revealed that the company has also extended their exploitive activities into their arable lands that have been developed into cocoa, oil palm plantation, cola and citrus.
According to him the petition is to enforce appropriate portions of the Minerals and Mining Act 703 which to them is being contravened by the company.
Touching on other issues the petitioners expressed their worry about compensation payment for the destruction of crops and other properties.
According to them NGGL has contravened section 73 of the Minerals and Mining Act ,2006 (Act 703) which indicates that compensation payment should be by agreement between the mining company and the affected farmers.
They revealed that NGGL instead of negotiating with the affected farmers had set up a Crop Compensation Committee to negotiate on behalf of the affected farmers and this violates section 73 of the Act because the representatives on the Committee do not have any legal mandate to negotiate compensation for affected farmers.
According to them section 74 of the Act provides for principles for compensation payment which includes compensating for the loss of earnings and the life expectancy of the crops in addition to paying compensation for loss of land.
The Petitioners further revealed that Newmont without negotiations has offered to pay Ghana 4,150 cedis for an acre of Cocoa (400 Cocoa trees) which translates into about 10 Ghana Cedis for a Cocoa tree.
But in their view, a farmer earns not less than 15 Ghana Cedis from a Cocoa tree every year for long periods between 30 to 60 years and further said the company currently has not made plans of paying for the loss of their lands.
“We are of the opinion that Newmont is imposing compensation on the affected farmers in the Akyem project and this is a violation of the right of the affected farmers to fair , adequate and prompt payment of compensation as enshrined in the National Constitution�.
They also accused the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of selling their birth-right to Newmont, inspite of environmental and social problems associated with the operations.
In a reaction to the petition by the Management of NGGL , the General Manager for Environment and Social Responsibility at Akyem , Robin Budden said the Company is yet to complete negotiations with the communities that will be affected as a result of their operations.
He indicated that they had held about forty different meetings with them mapping out the best strategies that would help them make maximum use of the compensation money to be given them.
He refuted the allegation that the company was imposing compensation packages on the farmers, but rather said it was a decision taken by the Crop Compensation Committee which is made up of representatives of all the farmers in the affected villages.
According to him, the company has only paid compensation to farmers who were affected as a result of their exploration activities and that they are yet to identify those who will also be affected when the company starts its operations fully.
The General Manager urged the farmers to have faith in their representatives but advised that instead of them always nominating farmers or individuals who are not articulate they should consider people outside their bracket who also have their interest at heart.
Author: By Selorm Amevor |
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