Cyanide spillage embarrassing Mines Ministry

Cyanide spillage embarrassing Mines Ministry

News in Ghana

6th December 2005

The Minister for Lands, Forestry and Mines, Prof. Dominic Fobih (MP) has expressed concern about the reported cases of cyanide spillage in the mining areas of the country and called for warning systems to be put in place to forestall future occurrences.

He noted that though the effect of these spillages on the neighbouring communities were minimal, the panic created and the inevitable reaction from the affected communities and civil society organizations did not only embarrass his ministry but also dented the confidence in the operational systems of the mining companies in the country.

According to the minister, the fact that the spillage could not be contained within the operational areas but allowed to affect water bodies in the vicinity showed that either adequate provisions were not made or there were some system failures.

Prof. Fobih, who was speaking at this year's Mines Safety Day, hosted by Wexford Mining Company at Akyempim in the Mpohor Wassa East district of the Western Region last week Saturday, noted that since some of the reported cyanide spillage cases had already been investigated, early warning systems should be put in place to forestall future occurrences.

The minister was also not happy about the way illegal miners, popularly known as 'galamsey" had sprung up across the mining communities in the country, with the operators refusing to avail themselves for the training that was being offered by the regulating agencies.

He noted that as a result of this stand, taken by the galamsey people, their operations were always haphazard and dangerous.

To buttress his argument, Prof. Fobih mentioned the recent incident at Nyafoman in the Eastern Region where a group of illegal miners were allegedly buried alive due to the dangerous manner in which they were carrying out their mining operations.

The minister further told the large gathering that his ministry intended to assist the illegal miners who seriously wanted to make a living from small scale mining, adding that eight locations which would be granted to such people after they had registered as cooperative groups had already been identified.

"I am aware that if areas reserved are not viable, these miners will not stay there for long. I have therefore contracted the services of the geological survey department and a private geological consultant to explore two of the identified areas so as to delineate viable areas for the small scale miners," he said.

Prof. Fobih also revealed that following loads of petitions sent to his ministry, he had made representation to the government to release part of the mineral royalties paid to the central government to the mining communities to carry out development.

He said if the representation were accepted by the government, special fund would be established in the mining communities where part of the royalties received by the government would be paid into it to carry out their own development projects.

The minister also appealed to all players in the industry to support the passage of the mining bill into law to replace the current one that had been in operation for over twenty years now.

He said those who were advocating against the passage of the bill were not doing the country any good and therefore called again on the industry players not to allow themselves to be confused.

The Deputy Western Regional Minister, Madam Sophia Honer-Sam, on her part, noted that while the government was doing everything possible to create a conducive atmosphere for investors to operate in, they must also reciprocate the gesture by being responsive to their social responsibilities.

She noted that many of the accusations levelled against the mining companies by the indigenous people were that they were not responsive to their demands.

According to her whilst some of the allegations could be said to be frivolous some of these concerns were genuine.

The mine manager of New Century Mines, Mr. Sam Agyeman, noted that since the mining areas had high prevalence rate of the HIV/AIDS virus, the fight against the disease by the mining companies should be carried to the local communities they operate in.

This year's Mines Safety Day was under the theme, "Health and Safety in the Mines: Expanding Frontiers to Host Communities".

The accompanying safety competitions among the companies that made it to that level was won by Anglogold-Ashanti Bibiani Mine with their counterparts from Iduaprime and Obuasi coming as first and second runners up respectively. The fourth position went to Abosso Goldfields.

The Ghana Chamber of Mines organized the programme in collaboration with the Mines department.