Affected farmers demand adequate compensation from Newmont Ahafo North Mine

Aggrieved farmers within the Ahafo North Mine catchment area of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited (NGGL), Ahafo Region have appealed to the government and relevant stakeholders to intervene for the mining company to pay them adequate compensation packages.

The farmers spread across Susuanso, Afrispakrom, Yamfo, and Adrobaa in the Tano North Municipality, whose farms and other properties are within the Mine's concessional area expressed the fear without the intervention of stakeholders, the company would not pay them the required compensation.

At a press conference held at Susuanso in the Tano North Municipality of the region, the farmers also called on the mining company to declare a "moratorium", a cut-off date for them to stay off of the company's concessional area.

Nana Gyamfi Kumanini, the Convener of the Ahafo North Farmers/Affected Property Owners Association said the farmers expected the Mine to pay the compensation per the Legislative Instrument (LI) 2175 of the Mineral and Mining Compensation and Resettlement Regulation, 2012.

"Surprisingly, Mr Joseph Danso, the Social Responsibility/Land Access Regional Manager of the Ahafo Mine, on July 13 this year told the communities, the media, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the Company has declared a moratorium on Ahafo North concession and therefore would not pay any compensation to affected farmers who had properties on the concession,” he said.

"Until Newmont declares moratorium publicly on its concession and pay affected farmers and properties’ owners their due compensations, there is no way the company can ward off farmers from the mining concession," Nana Kumanini indicated.

"According to Mineral and Mining Compensation and Resettlement Regulation 2012 (LI 2175), development on mining concession is said to be speculative when it is developed after a cut-off date or after the declaration of moratorium on the said land."

"We wish to state emphatically that we shall not relent in protecting our interest in the land to ensure that everyone gets what he or she deserves. The 1992 constitution stipulates clearly that there must be an agreement between the occupier and the affected persons including full payments of life expectancy of properties", he added.

"We are not against companies operating in the area but we shall demonstrate against the company and any other stakeholder who may try to infringe on our rights", Nana Kumanini stated.

Sulley Dramani, Ahafo Region