By Emmanuel Gamson
Prestea (W/R), April 28, GNA – Some youth at Prestea have organised a walk in solidarity with Heath Goldfields amid calls for the Government to revoke its Prestea-Bogoso mining lease.
Dubbed: “Heath Must Stay Solidarity Walk”, the youth marched through some principal streets of Prestea to oppose demands by some groups to revoke Heath Goldfields’ mining lease.
According to them, the call was premature, noting that the company had provided jobs for them by ceding part of its concession for them to engage in responsible small-scale cooperative community mining.
Mr Mahama Arthur, Acting Chairman for Four Bungalows Black Waste Committee at Prestea, during the walk, said their action was to throw their support behind the Ghanaian company for providing an opportunity for the youth to engage in artisanal small-scale mining activities.
He said: “We believe that Heath Goldfields being a Ghanaian-owned company must be supported by its indigenous people instead of revoking their lease and giving it to a Chinese company.”
He noted that the company had proved beyond reasonable doubt that they could support government’s cooperative mining scheme as means to reduce illegal mining (galamsey) activities in the area.
“We are aware that Heath Goldfields recently secured funds to finance the mine from Trafigura, and there is a massive underground dewatering ongoing under Heath Goldfields,” Mr Arthur added.
Mr Francis Kwesi Blay, a former Member of Parliament for Prestea-Huni Valley, also expressed support for Heath Goldfields to continue its mining operations in the Prestea-Bogoso area.
He said: “It is too early for us to agitate that they should leave, and as a Ghanaian mining company they will help boost the local economy because whatever money they get will remain in the country.”
He noted that the company ceding part of its concession to the youth proved they were willing to partner with locals for shared growth.
Nana Kwabena Tenkorang, Chief of Prestea Nsuoakyi, asked the government to ignore calls to revoke Heath Goldfields mining lease, saying the company was their main driver of development.
“They are the only company who have come in to cede part of their concession to the community for our youth to have something meaningful to do with their lives, and even awarded haulage and mining to local contractors, so they must stay,” he said.
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga/Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Reporter: Emmanuel Gamson
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