By Christopher Tetteh
Sunyani (Bono) Feb. 28, GNA – Stakeholders have called for strict adherence to the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) principles in the mining sector.
The FPIC principles require the consent of mining communities or persons, or groups indirectly affected by mining activities before the commencement of mining activities in those communities.
Mostly, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) working for improved human rights in mining communities ought to be in the position to accept, negotiate or reject some proposed socio-economic interventions of mining companies without any form of duress.
That, according to the stakeholders, and the CSOs which also work to promote human rights, justice and equity in revenue governance in mining communities would greatly help tackle the emerging violent agitations and unrest being experienced in some mining communities in the country.
The stakeholders made the call during a two-day validation workshop on ‘Human Rights Violations in Mining Communities’ in Sunyani.
It was organised by the Center for Public Interest Law (CEPIL) in collaboration with Wacam, the Media Foundation for West Africa, with support from Oxfam in Ghana, another NGO and sought to promote equitable and transparent resource revenue governance, environmental justice and inclusive mining governance.
The workshop followed a comprehensive study on human rights violations in selected mining communities of the Ahafo and Akyem mines of the Newmont Ghana Gold limited which assessed the nature and extent of human rights violations.
It was attended by Chiefs and Queens, government agencies, CSOs and actors, security services Assembly Members, Coordinating Directors, and Persons with Disabilities. Other participants included representatives from the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice, (CHRAJ), and National Association of Small-Scale Mining.
Mrs Hannah Owusu-Koranteng, the Associate Executive Director, Wacam, regretted that “instead of being a blessing, mining continued to be a curse for the nation,” and called for active voices towards spearhead development in mining communities.
Dr Samuel Obiri, the Executive Director of the Centre for Environmental Impact Analysis (CEIA), observed that gold mining played an integral role in the nation’s socio-economic development due to its significant contributions to national revenue generation and employment.
In 2022, he said the mining sector contributed 30 percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), generating $6.38 billion in the nation’s foreign exchange earnings.
Dr Obiri underlined the need for the nation to also ensure that affected mining communities benefited from corresponding developments too.
GNA