Adamus Resources Limited, a mining company operating in the country, has stated that it would not engage, support, or condone illegal mining in its host communities.
“As a law-abiding corporate citizen, the mine cannot engage in, support, or condone illegal mining and this has been a cardinal principle in our engagements with our host communities for the last 12 years.”
This was contained in a statement issued by the Communications Department of the company on Monday, May 9, 2022, in response to allegations by a youth group at Nzema in the Western Region where Adamus undertook its mining activities.
The group alleged that the company was restricting the local people from farming.
“We state, without equivocation, that the company applied and was legally granted concessions to mine and explore for gold in parts of the Ellembelle and Nzema East Districts in line with the Minerals and Mining Act 2006 (Act 703), and its associated Regulations.”
“That-notwithstanding, actual mining was limited in areas where gold was discovered in economic quantity. These areas were fully compensated and declared restricted mining areas (where economic activity such as farming is restricted but not prohibited).”
The statement said that the mining areas constituted about 30 per cent of the total concession areas and that irrespective of the size of the concession the mine did not stop farmers or groups of people from exercising their lawful rights to undertake their livelihoods within a large chunk of the lease holders concession (areas which are yet to be explored or fully compensated).
The statement said allegations by the youth group suggesting abuse and preventing the group from engaging in community mining were untrue.
It said that Adamus, mindful of the unemployment challenge in the country, had employed hundreds of Nzema indignes and granted about four (4) Small Scale Concessions to the community through the Minerals Commission.
The company said it had contributed to the development of host communities in addition to paying U$7.5 million to the Anwia-Teleku Bokazo Trust Fund.
“The company also pays taxes, levies, duties, and royalty to central government for the development of Ghana. The mine invariably contributes to the Minerals Development Fund (MDF), from which Ellembelle can boast of several MDF funded projects in educational infrastructural development.
The statement continued: “earnings of our employees remain the backbone of the local economy. Undoubtedly, the bulk of these earnings are retained in the local economy.
Adamus has thus partly transformed the Nzema community to a larger extent than any other contributor. The stakeholders from the local government and communities have attested to this fact”.
It said there were ongoing discussions in respect of additional concessions for community mining, adding that; ‘We are collaborating with the other stakeholders to realise the community mining and social license objectives in that regard.”
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
