As the area steadily develops into a hotspot for gold mining, the Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, is urging local residents, small-scale miners, large-scale mining firms, and all other stakeholders to be aware of the consequences of their acts and inactions.
Mr. Yakubu explained to Mark Smith on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show that lessons should be learned from the current mining areas and then incorporated in newer agreements to be reached in other areas where large-scale mining is anticipated to take place after noticing the ongoing agitation from small-scale miners, some community members, traditional leaders, and other stakeholders in the mining sector.
The Upper East Regional Minister reminded stakeholders that all agreements must be beneficial to all parties that are concerned with regard to mining.
“We have to make sure that there is a win-win situation wherever they are operating. Growing up, I had a friend I used to visit in Obuasi and I saw the gold in Obuasi. There was gold in Obuasi and yet, they were always complaining. We do not want such things to happen here in the Upper East Region,” he said.
With knowledge on the repercussions of poorly negotiated deals between large scale companies and communities, the Upper East Regional Minister explained that he has taken the burden to mediate many of the disagreements that have popped up.
“When I became regional minister, you would realise that the issues in the Tongo area, I went in very quickly and made sure that at least, people were compensated rightly,” he recalled.
While encouraging mining companies to be generous in their offers to communities, Mr. Yakubu reminded community members to be realistic in the demand they make on mining companies.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
