Gov’t Must Protect Legally Licensed Mining Companies

It appears to The Chronicle that the government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), led by President John DramaniMahama, has lost control over the activities of illegal miners, otherwise known as galamsey.

Indeed, if the opposite is the case, one would not hear operators of huge legally licensed mining firms in the country bemoaning their fate, and crying aloud over the way they are being treated as a company, as against the galamseyers.

The Chronicle, in its yesterday's edition published a story under the headline – “AngloGold Still Crying over Seizure of Mines… by illegal miners as government remains adamant”.

The story indicated that government has failed to stop illegal miners on legally acquired gold concession of Anglo Gold Ashanti (AGA) as themilitary personnel deployed to the ObuasiTownship to keep the galamseyers at bay appears to be cosmetic.

According to the story, the lamentation of the company came from no less a personality than its own Managing Director, Mr. Eric Asubonteng, when he presented medical logistics worth GH¢1.3 million from Project Cure, an American-based Non Governmental Organization (NGO) to the Obuasi Government Hospital.

Mr. Asubonteng bemoaned: “AGA is currently experiencing significant disruption of our business from the occupation of our operational area by illegal miners. It is a major challenge. As we speak now, illegal miners are still on our concession”.

He stressed: “Even though the military are back in Obuasi, they are not mandated to operate in the area occupied by the illegal miners, hence the illegal miners continue to be there. A lot of things might have moved here and there, but the bottom line is that galamseyers continue to mine on our concession with impunity.”

The AGA boss continued that the suspension of the military from their concession forced the illegal miners to invade their operational territory six months ago, bewailing that the illegal miners work underground, blasting rocks, which affect the integrity of their underground infrastructure, thus exposing the company and the illegal miners to risks.

Mr. Asubonteng indicated that, AGA is currently conducting feasibility studies and engaging government to among other things approve of the studies and to enable it resume its mining activities after additional investors have been brought in to rebuild the mine.

The Chronicle is aware that this is not the first time galamseyers have invaded the concessions of AGA, resulting in similar complaints.

In January, 2015, small-scale miners in the area accused AngloGold Ashanti of preventing them from having access to their (AGA) concessions.

This compelled the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Nii Osah Mills to speak to the issue on Obuasi based private radio station, Class News, to prevent further agitations by residents in the Obuasi Municipality, who are up in arms against authorities of AGA.

The Minister said “We will like to have a situation where, in any gold mining area, at any given time, there is calm and everything is well-organised in the gold industry.

Again, in October, 2013 armed illegal gold miners attacked some members of the anti-galamsey security team of AGA on the company's concession in Obuasi, leaving one of the security men seriously wounded in the attack.

The galamsey operators opened deep machete wounds at the occiput (the back of the head) and on the thigh of 38 year old Peter Appiah.

This, according to the report happened after an anti-galamsey security team was deployed by the company to lay ambush at the areas where the illegal miners used to access their working areas.

About 9.30 p.m., the team encountered a group of about 15 galamseyers near the KSM-Anyinam Club within the company's operational area and the illegal miners abandoned a quantity of sacks containing gold-bearing materials, a long rope and five loaves of bread and fled.

Soon afterwards, the galamseyers regrouped and charged on the security team, demanding in particular the rope which aided them to go underground.

The Chronicle is at a loss as to why the government cannot protect legally registered companies working on the authority of the state and allow illegal operators to attack and cause mayhem to such civil groups and individuals.

What then becomes of the need for the same government to spend the tax payers' money to fly government officials abroad, put them in expensive hotels, dine and wine at luxurious restaurants to 'beg' investors to come and invest in the country when we cannot protect their investment.

Government must, therefore, make it appoint to ensure that legally licensed organizations are taken very good care of so as to attract more investors into the country.