[allAfrica.com]  [Bryant_Law_Group]


Mining And Social Conflicts (2)

Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra)
NEWS
April 7, 2004
Posted to the web April 7, 2004

By Othello B. Garblah & Joseph Coomson
Obuasi
The compensation
Six thousand cedis (¢6000) approximately US$0.68 cent at today's exchange rate
was the amount paid for Mr. Ernest Kwasi Fori's family farm land when surface
mining began in his native town of Sansu in 1989, The Chronicle has gathered.
Information gathered by this paper also indicates that many others not only in
Sansu but in other communities that have experienced mining activities also
attracted meager sum for their crops and farmlands.
According to some members of the communities visited by this paper the present
economy hardship being endure by them is as a results of these poor
compensation.
The Chronicle can report that the issue of poor compensation is at the core of
the social conflicts in mining communities throughout the country.
Speaking to The Chronicle during its tour of the Adansi West District in the
Ashanti Region, Mr. Ernest Kwasi Fori, a teacher cum farmer blamed the mining
companies for the woes many of the communities affected by mining activities
face today.
Although it is not clear how the evaluation was done, members of the affected
communities blamed the government agency responsible for lands valuation for
the under pricing of their lands/ crops and to a large extend roped in the
mining companies too.
An attempt by The Chronicle to find out from the Lands Evaluation Board as to
the criteria of valuation used during the acquisition of these lands by mining
companies proved futile as the paper was told to return a week later.
However, the community relations manager of AGC, Obuasi, Mr George Sasu told
The Chronicle in an interview that an independent valuer, from the LVB, was
asked to value the land to forestall the problem of people coming back to them
to tell the company that their compensation was meager.
"AGC decided to go strictly according to the mining law which state that mining
companies have to go to the Land Evaluation Board for land valuation incase
there is any dispute".
He said that AGC used to do the valuation and assessment of property on its
concessions some time ago but turned to the land valuation board because of
many disputes that cropped up after compensation had been paid. "We have
actually brought in land evaluation board to be doing the assessment for us and
the figures that are used by the board are figures that have been approved by
the executive committee of the board in Accra in consultation with the
government".
"So we do not actually determine how much to be given to a farmer and indeed
what ever property that is on his land".
George Sasu disclosed that some landowners on the company's concessions have
complained that the LVB has rather been under-valuing their land and property
because AGC used to value their property above the rates of the LVB.
According to the minerals law, Act 153 section 71 subsection 1, it is the
responsibility of mining companies to compensate occupiers of the concession at
the time they are moving in to operate to make sure that all those who have
been deprived off their land are paid appropriate and due compensation.
The community relations manager said since November 1992 to January this year,
AGC has paid a total of ¢23 billion ($2.5m) by way of compensation to affected
property owners. "We have been honoring that responsibility ever since the
company was incorporated in cape coast in 1890. AGC has been doing its bit in
terms of compensation", he added.
"We want to establish that kind of rapport, good relationship between the
company and the communities within which we operate so as to forestall that
interruptions in our mining operations which eventually lead to loss of revenue
because by holding on our operations by even an hour, the amount of money that
we lose is colossal." Sasu said.
However, the issue of compensation others said was not void of fraud as the
communities were also engage in over night planting when ever it was learnt
that a mining company was coming to that community the next day or so to pay
compensation.
It was learnt that some of the communities' members would go and plant already
harvested pineapple just to be given compensation for that.

   

  =============================================================================
   Copyright © 2004 Ghanaian Chronicle. All rights reserved. Distributed by
                    AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
  =============================================================================