Ghanaian EPA Organizes Public Hearing On Newmont's Operations

Newmont is planning to open two mines in the Brong Ahafo and the Eastern Regions of Ghana. The Eastern Region project affects one of Ghana's forest reserves.

The Ghanaian Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) organised public hearing on November 2nd 2004 on the eastern Region Project. Media Reports indicate a clear opposition by some of the communities to be affected by the project. There is also a clear strategy apparently initiated by the company to neutralise this opposition.

EPA Organizes Public Hearing On Newmont's Operations

By Joseph Coomson, Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra)

November 9, 2004

As part of the decision making process of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to grant Newmont Ghana, license to mine on its Akyem concession, a public hearing was held last Tuesday at Yaayaaso, in the Eastern Region to discuss the Akyem project and its effect on the people of the community.

Before the public hearing, Newmont had been doing exploration activities and had a number of community participation meetings to explain the project. Newmont has also had smaller focused group discussions with communities as well as one-to-one interactions with a cross section of traditional rulers, opinion leaders and community representatives about the project.

During the hearing, Mr. Akwasi Gyima Bota, Community Relations and Development Manager said several measures and policies had been put in place to mitigate problems arising out of mining. Concerning land use and its attendant conflict, which would arise out of the loss of agriculture land, accommodation and livelihood, Mr. Bota said relevant compensation would be paid apart from resettlement, relocation, providing alternative livelihood programmers and capacity building.

Touching on population increase, the Manager explained that although there would be increased cost of living, pressure on facilities, social vices and insecurity, the company would help provide some facilities. He said there would be increase in employment in the area leading to cash economy. "Training and education would receive support."

Mr. Bota noted that training and educational programmes would also be done to increase HIV/AIDS awareness.

With the problems of environmental degradation from surface mining which include the removal of top soil, digging, blasting, spraying of water, the Manager stressed that Newmont would reforest destroyed forest, create sediment control dams as well as buffer zones and put in place scheduling monitoring systems.

On the spillage of chemicals, Mr. Bota noted that adequate measures would be in place to contain it.

All chiefs under the Akyem Kotoku Traditional Council spoke about both foreseen and unforeseen problems but were all addressed by Newmont officials.

However, the chief of Afosu, represented by his lawyer, King Husein Ibn Alhasan said he was against surface mining and would not allow the company to operate on his land.

The acting president of the Akyem Kotoku Traditional Council, Obrimpon Afroteng IV noted that the traditional council would talk to the Afosu chief about the benefits of the project.

He called on the company to meet the chiefs for more thorough discussions. Some of the requests included cars for each chief and their spouses, building of new palaces, places of convenience and boreholes among others.

The next steps for Newmont on the Akyem project include intensive studies and interviews, development of environmental reports, government decision on the mining project, the company's investment decision and identification of development projects.

At the end of 2003, Newmont declared 93.1million ounces in gold reserves. The Ghana project was the second highest contributor with a total of 11.9 million, with the Akyem project contributing just under half to that reserve base.