AZUMAH GOLD RESOURCE URGED TO NORMALSE OPERATIONS (PAGE 46, JUNE 30, 2010)

Azumah Gold Resources, an Australian mining firm prospecting for gold in three districts of the Upper West Region has been accused of entering the three districts without the knowledge of the district assemblies and key stakeholders in the districts.
Participants at a workshop organised by the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD), a non-governmental organisation, described the action of the company as shameful, disgraceful and an affront to the dignity of the people in the region, particularly, those in the Nadowli, Lawra and Jirapa districts where the bulk of the activities were concentrated.
The participants, therefore, called on the company to do the right thing as their operations were creating tension and disunity among the people.
They said the activities of the company had resulted in most farmers abandoning their farms because of the numerous excavations which were posing threats to their lives.
“Azumah should, as a matter of urgency, do a proper community entry into all communities through the district assemblies, chiefs, opinion leaders and other stakeholders and possibly through a forum but not on individual basis”, a communiqué issued after the workshop said.
It said the affected districts would meet in Jirapa on July 13, 2010 to study the scooping reports of Azumah which were prepared without the consultation of district assemblies and stakeholders such as the NADMO, the Ghana Health Service, Police, among others to strategies on how to engage Azumah.
“Until then, we strongly recommend that the Environmental Protection Agency, the Minerals Commission and other mining sector agencies including stakeholders of the Azumah Resources should freeze or suspend all transactions and to allow the affected districts and communities put in pragmatic measures that would facilitate a win- win situation for the environment, the communities and the company”, the communiqué added.
It said a public hearing must be organised to give stakeholders and affected communities the opportunity to speak for themselves at public hearings or through representatives or experienced resource persons.
The communiqué commended CIKOD and urged it to continue to play a lead role by ensuring good environmental and natural resource governance in the Upper West Region.
Presenting the findings of a study conducted on the communities perception of the impact of mining on their well-being, a lecturer of the faculty for Integrated Development Studies of the University for Development Studies, Mr Haruna Issahaque, said most of the people were of the view that mining would lead to a decline in food production and export, while about 90.1 per cent of the respondents said arable lands would also reduce.
He said the expectation of the people among others included, the improvement in road network, creation of jobs and adequate educational facilities.
A Director at the Upper West Regional Co-ordinating Council, Alhaji Tamimu Zaid, expressed happiness that the region was endowed with gold deposits but observed that it also had its challenges which must be tackled.
He, therefore, called on the district assemblies and the communities to come out clearly and involve themselves in the process before full-scale mining started.
He described the workshop as timely since it would enable the communities know how mining would affect them.