Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL) has assured residents of Dokyikrom in the Asutifi North District (AND) of payment of their cash compensation, totaling twenty-one million Ghana Cedis (GHS 21,000,000).
This commitment came to light during a public forum organised by Wacam, a human rights and mining advocacy NGO, with support from Oxfam in Ghana as part of the PVP Fair for All Project in Sunyani on Tuesday, August 20, 2024.
The forum, attended by forty (40) participants from communities including Dokyikrom, Damso, and Dormaa Kantinka, in the Asutifi North District (AND) of the Ahafo Region, aimed to identify alternative responsible practices and solutions that will benefit the communities and develop a concrete plan of action for them to continue engaging with key actors and holding them accountable.
Notably, Dokyikrom, Damso, and Dormaa Kantinka are among the communities in the district that are being impacted by Newmont’s Ahafo South Mine operations.
According to the participants from Dokyikrom, the commitment by Newmont followed a picketing embarked upon by them in front of Newmont Ahafo South Mine on July 30, 2024.
In response, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR) convened a meeting at the ministry, attended by the Deputy Minister, the Paramount Chief of Ntotroso, representatives from Kenyasi No. 1 and No. 2 traditional councils, and Newmont representatives.
However, Johnson Owusu Prempeh, who acts as the spokesperson of Dokykrom, and attended the forum, warned that they have given Newmont a two-week ultimatum to pay their compensation, failing which they will be forced to take further actions to compel the company to fulfill its obligations.
While lamenting that their compensation issue dates back to 2018, he commended Wacam for empowering them with knowledge to assert their rights.
He recounted how Newmont decided to pay GHS11.2 million instead of the GHS21 million already agreed upon, with the company making the argument that the balance of GHS9.8 million would be used for community development projects.
That move by Newmont, Owusu Prempeh said, was fiercely resisted by the affected community members.
He was also not happy that Newmont had resolved to resettle the people of Dokykrom in Kenyase No. 1 and No. 2, instead of resettling them in one location.
Against this backdrop, he assured them that they will join forces with Damso to put pressure on Newmont to address their concerns too.
Over the years, Wacam has been providing these communities with capacity-building programmes to support them in addressing the challenges posed by the mining activities.
Even before the picketing, Wacam had led an exchange visit to the community where the NGO reinforced on the need to use their knowledge in FPIC, the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) to assert their rights and protect their properties and environment.
For his part, the spokesperson for Damso, Father Moree Larbi, bemoaned that residents in the community were experiencing severe negative impacts of Newmont’s activities.
He said these included skin diseases, polluted water sources, devastated farmlands, and attacks from venomous animals, including snakes.
Many of the residents have been exposed to hazardous chemicals used by Newmont in its operations, resulting in regular headaches, heart diseases, and other health issues.
He added that their domestic animals and farm produce have also been exposed to dangerous chemicals, putting everyone at high risk,” he added.
According to him, they can neither drink from their river nor use dug-boreholes due to toxicity.
In the midst of their problems, Father Larbi heaped praises on Wacam for their continuous support to Damso, calling on the mining company to relocate them to save the lives of those currently living in the area.
The Associate Executive Director of Wacam, Hannah Owusu-Koranteng, admonished the communities against entrusting their mandate to individuals with questionable trustworthiness in compensation matters.
She advised them, particularly the people of Dokykrom, to ensure that they keep documentation to support their engagements with the stakeholders involved in addressing their grievances.