NEWREG fights for the rights of mining communities

Some women organizations operating in mining and oil communities in six regions of Ghana have resolved to undertake facts-finding visits to communities negatively impacted by oil, fishing and gold mining companies, and employ the services of human rights lawyers to speak for the affected persons.

These communities located in the Ashanti, Eastern, Central, Western, Western-North and Ahafo regions have also vowed to come out with a detailed documentary of affected people who have not received any compensation, and petition both local and international organizations for their plights to be heard for redress.

This formed part of recommendations made at a day’s experience sharing and learning workshop organized in Kumasi for communities affected by mining operations in Ghana.

The workshop was organized by Network for Women’s Rights and Environmental Governance (NEWREG), with support from Global Greengrants Fund (GGF) and Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action (GAGGA).

The participants further resolved to organize community durbars and educate mining companies on the importance of the environment to human lives and the need to protect it as well as network with other local and international organizations to share ideas on the way forward.

Human right abuses
Speaking at the workshop, the Chairperson of NEWREG, Mrs. Emelia Konadu Kyeremeh, noted that even though Ghana was blessed with a lot of natural resources, including gold, oil, diamond, iron, bauxite as well as forest and fishery, the exploitation of these minerals, particularly gold, oil, gas and quarry usually resulted in physical and economic displacement of communities and significant negative environmental and socio-economic impacts and human rights abuses.

She explained that the purpose of the workshop was to share experiences on issues concerning women and girls’ rights, livelihood destruction, environmental pollution, land degradation, human rights violations, biodiversity loss and climate change, and to formulate a common agenda for national level advocacy campaigns and engagements.

Sustainable development
According to Mrs. Konadu Kyeremeh, NEWREG is a network of absolute women associations/organizations operating in the natural resources endowed regions in Ghana with the vision to promote good minerals governance, reduce poverty and climate vulnerability, promote climate resilience, women’s and girls’ rights, enhance women economic empowerment towards sustainable development.

She said the Network was established in 2022 in Sunyani with members from Bono region, Ahafo, Bono East, Ashanti, Eastern, Central, Western and Western North Regions of Ghana.

The Grant Advisor for the Global Greengrants Fund, West African Advisory Board, Mr. Richard Adjei-Poku, described GGF as a leading grant making organization which supports grassroots` efforts to protect the environment and the rights of people with its headquarters in Boulder, USA.

He briefly touched on the Global Alliance for Green and Gender Action, (GAGGA) and emphasized that it’s a network of organizations that support environmental and gender justice, adding that the GAGGA connects and supports community-based organizations, NGOs, with funds to advocate for gender and environmental justice while providing grants and other resources to help these organizations to strengthen their capacity for research, advocacy, and lobbying.

Concerns
Mr. Solomon Ofori from Bibiani indicated that at Bibiani open pit mining has over the years caused land degradation and destruction of farmlands with food stuffs such as cassava, cocoyam, plantain as well as cocoa are destroyed without any adequate compensation.

“The blasting causes damage to buildings and home appliances. When affected persons report it to them, nothing is done about it. The dust that emanates from the blasting causes water and air pollution. This has brought about respiratory diseases among residents in the areas concerned”, he said.

He also raised human rights issues with some military brutalities, some of which led to deaths and injuries to a lot of people, lamenting that: “The mining company’s compensation is nothing to write home about and poor farmers have issues with it. There is also shortage of food and has brought about economic hardships.

Madam Benedicta Kyem Moses of Chirano also raised concerns about the non-adherence to road traffic regulations by drivers of mining companies operating in her area, especially when driving through the town and farm roads.