Concerned assembly members of Prestea-Huney Valley Municipal Assembly in the Western Region have appealed to the government to halt plans to put FGR Bogoso Prestea Mine under what they described as “care and maintenance operations.”
Care-and-Maintenance in mining industry is used to describe processes and conditions on a closed mine site where there is potential to recommence operations at a later date.
“We wish to inform the government that we are not in support of the decision to put FGR Bogoso Prestea Mine under care and maintenance and that the government should rescind its decision if there is such a move,” they added.
The group, in a statement issued here yesterday and copied the Ghanaian Times, alleged that top government officials and hierarchy of FGR Bogoso Prestea Mine were planning to put FGR Bogoso Prestea Mine under care and maintenance.
The concerned assemblymen said “the closure of the mine will bring economic hardship to the good people of Prestea. There will be lack of development and employment for the people of Prestea,” the statement signed by the secretary of the group Shaibu Dimbie stated.
The group said “we affirm that failure to rescind such a decision will incur the displeasure and anger of the Prestea Bogoso community and we will use any available means possible to fight putting the mine under care and maintenance.”
“We want to use this occasion to call on the good people of Bogoso Prestea “to rise up and join the fight against the decision to close down the mine,” it said.
The group explained that, their actions was based on the view that, the change over from Golden Star Bogoso/Prestea to Future Global Resources (FGR) was fishy, saying that “the government was aware from onset,” and that, no funds were injected by FGR.
It said many investors who had shown keen interest in the mines, both surface and underground, were denied the opportunity.
Further, it said under the watch of the government, the mine received little or no money from the gold extracted and sold by FGR, adding that the management had not been truthful to the various stakeholders including traditional leaders, workers and suppliers.
Notwithstanding, mining of the tailings available in Bogoso is continuing.
FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, TAKORADI
