Anglogold Ashanti’s 60% Relinquished Concession Now Ready For Registered Small Scale Miners

AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi mine relinquished a 273 sq.km concession within its Obuasi, Adansi North and Amanise Central Concessions earlier this year with approval from the Minerals Commission. The government through the Minerals Commission and the Movement Committee has successfully secured most of these places which are gold rich areas to be given to Small Scale miners in the Obuasi Municipality.

Sites.
The committee with the help of the Minerals Commission and the available data from AngloGold Ashanti has been able to look out for Gold Rich areas within the 60% concession area which been have cleared and demarcated for not less than 3,000 small scale miners with over 500 ghettoes.

All roads leading to these sites have been cleared and made accessible to the small scale miners to make working there more comfortable and safer.

The sites are Adumanu (world bank), Suhyenso (Tema Ridge), Cardiff and Kotopreso.

All thse areas have more gold and working here is far more productive as compared to Cot’dor which has lost its gold richness over time.

According to Mr. Kwaku Frimpong Kumah, Chairman of the Movement Committee “These areas aren’t like other areas where you have to dig very deep to get a rock; we’ve tested the whole place and there’s no rock here without visible gold”

He added that, Adumanu, Suhyenso,Kotopreso and Cardiff are the very rich and best areas within the 273 sq.km which the committee has tirelessly worked on to get for the small scale miners.

ASM Workforce.
Currently, registered Artisans Small Scale Miners (ASM) in the Obuasi Municipality stands at 4,654.

Mr. Kwaku Frimpong Kumah assured the registered members of a first come first serve kind of demarcations. “We will first of all share the trenches for the registered members who will come in groups of 10 or more and later see to non registered members or foreigners”, he stressed.

Other Amenities.
The Movement Committee also promises to add amenities that will make work on all the four areas comfortable and up to Minerals Commission and Environmental Protection Authority standard.

“We will build a mini health post, changing rooms and washing rooms for the workers who will be moved here”, Mr. Frimpong Kumah added.

The 14 member Movement Committee which started work earlier in August will be ending their assignment come 30^th September, 2016.