This year’s edition of the annual West African Mining and Power Exhibition (WAMPE) has officially been opened in Accra with a clarion call on inhabitants in mining communities to desist from putting all their burdens on mining companies with the prime motive of getting rich quick.
Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Miss Joyce Aryee, made the call in an interview with journalists after a sod-cutting ceremony to get the exhibition underway.
This year’s edition of the mining exhibition was under the auspices of the European Union (EU) in Ghana.
“Inhabitants of mining communities expect so much from mining companies that is why they always have problems with companies over the payment of compensations and royalties.
…They raise expectations so high that when they do not get what they expect or project they begin to make all sorts of complaints to NGOs and other stakeholders in the industry. These situations put so much pressure on mining companies, delay projects and make mining activities very difficult to execute,” Miss Aryee explained.
She revealed that when inhabitants in mining communities are asked to submit compensation and royalty reports they inflate their budgets and demand so much from mining companies.
“Most of these inhabitants when asked to submit list of properties likely to be affected by mining activities presume and see that as the right opportunity to be rich so they end up adding items that do not even exist in their homes and places of abode just to take compensations and royalties,” she pointed out.
She stated that Ghanaians should not lose sight of the fact that mining companies over the past years have contributed immensely to the country’s foreign exchange earnings hence the need for mining communities to rally behind and support them.
“The good news now is that when these foreign exchange earnings are made, the mining companies at the end save with our local banks here so that when people need loans to establish their businesses they could be given loan and grant assistance,” she said.
She underscored that inasmuch as communities demand development projects it is also important that mining companies operating in the country give whatever is due the communities to them.
“Mining companies are obligated to give back to communities that they operate since their activities affect their lives, residence and places of habitation,” Miss Aryee indicated.
She disclosed that as at now only 9% of foreign exchange earnings of mining companies’ royalties are given back to mining communities which was not enough.
Head of EU delegation and EU Ambassador to Ghana his Excellency Claude Marertern, speaking in an interview with the press
For his part, the head of the EU delegation and EU Ambassador to Ghana, His Excellency Claude Marertern, re-affirmed the EU’s commitment to boost the Ghanaian mining sector to make it a big investment venture.
He recounted that in 2002 the EU signed a financing agreement for a programme to support the mining sector in Ghana.
“The project which is known as the EU Mining Support Sector Programme (MSSP) made available an amount of €40 million (about ¢424 billion) from the 8th European Development Fund (EDF) to assist the mining sector in regaining its economic importance,” disclosed Mr Marertern.
STORY: WILLIAM BEEKO & MILLICENT YARO
Seems like everyone is getting a grant these days. I reckon i get a few dozen malicious emails a month, i wonder if i could get a government grant for $50M to deal with the problem. lol