By Joyce Danso, GNA
Accra, Nov. 24, GNA – Dr. Mrs Theresah Baah-Ennumh, a Senior Lecturer, Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, says compensations and resettlement packages offered to communities affected by mining should not make them “victims”.
“Beneficiaries of resettlements should not be victims. People should be compensated with packages that are better than what they had, or they should be given a similar package to what they had previously.
“Mining firms should compensate or resettle communities, so they become better.”
Dr Mrs Baah- Ennumh was speaking at the National Dialogue on resettlement and compensation in mining communities in Accra.
The programme held by Centre for Social Impact Studies CeSIS in collaboration with Third World Network, Africa (TWN-Africa) brought together experts, opinion leaders, policy makers and community leaders.
The occasion was used to outdoor research conducted by CeSIS in three communities in the Ashanti Region, which are facingchallenges in relation to settlement and compensation.
The communities are: Dokyiwa, Anwiam and New Bediem.
Dr Mrs Baah-Ennumh, noted that challenges facing Anwiam such as destruction of properties during blasting by Anglo Gold Ashanti and inability for school children to attend school when it rained, called for investigations by State agencies.
Among other challenges faced by the people of Anwiam were restrictions on free movement, blockade of easy access routes to township, and frequent invasion of community by security agencies on the request of AngloGold Ashanti.
In the case of Dokyiwa and New Bediem, the inhabitants are having cracks in their buildings, lack of potable water, and poor compensation packages.
She noted that some communities were deprived of their settlements as a result of improper negotiations by some experts and urged the communities to hold those experts responsible.
The Senior Lecturer urged communities to also take a critical look at the long-term effects of compensation offered to them by mining companies.
On alternative livelihood, she said jobs offered to the youth should be sustainable and appealing.
Mr Robert Tanti Ali, Executive Director, CeSis, said despite the contribution of the mining to Ghana’s economy, it came with some challenges that could not be overlooked.
Mr Benjamin Aryee, an Advisor on Mining to the Minister of Lands Natural Resources, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, said it was important for communities to be involved in negotiations and said it was unethical for compensations and resettlements to make community dwellers victims of circumstances.
Mr Eric Anaane Ndebugri, Programmes Officer, CeSIS, who presented the research report, noted that communities were underserved because they lacked or had limited bargaining power when dealing with transnational corporations.
The research was carried out in 2022.
Mr Ndebugri said to address some of the issues relating to compensation and resettlements, communities should be educated on the Minerals and Minig Act, 2006 Act 703 and the 2012, LI 2175.
According to him, the report showed that mining companies, government bodies and traditional authorities had more influence in such negotiations while communities’ interests were less.
He urged Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) to continue to build the capacities of communities on relevant laws on resettlement and compensation.
Mr Stephen Agbo, Deputy Manager and a Social Scientists at the Minerals Commission, said issues raised by the communities would be investigated and addressed by the Commission.
GNA