Newmont Africa's Ahafo South Mine has committed to resolving speculative activities that have caused delays in the expansion of its Tailings Storage Facility (TSF) Project at Dokyikrom.
According to Mr. Samuel Osei, Communications and External Relations Manager of Newmont Africa, Ahafo South and North Mines, the company is dedicated to working within regulatory frameworks to ensure the proper resettlement and compensation of individuals affected by the project.
Mr. Osei spoke to journalists following a visit to communities where certain residents had constructed physical structures in anticipation of compensation, contributing to the delay in the resettlement and compensation processes.
During the journalists' visit to areas such as Dokyikrom in the Asutifi District, it became evident that some residents had hastily built structures beyond the enumeration cut-off date, which was in July 2019.
The TSF expansion aims to enhance Newmont's capacity to store waste, thus enabling increased gold production.
However, Mr. Osei noted that some individuals had illegally constructed structures after the enumeration process was completed and intended to demand compensation for these unauthorized structures.
This situation has caused delays in taking stock of the resettlement process for the past two years.
Mr. Osei urged community members to engage in good-faith dialogues and maintain transparency when dealing with these issues.
Regulatory bodies like the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have deemed these wrongful structures ineligible for compensation.
Mr. Ahmed Nantogmah, Director of External Relations and Communication at the Ghana Chamber of Mines, stressed the importance of adhering to mining regulations and avoiding speculative activities.
Speculative structures can prolong the resettlement process, potentially impacting Ghana's income from mining.
While visiting Dokyikrom, journalists captured images of the speculative structures and spoke with community members.
The community members denied extending or erecting new structures after the July 2019 cut-off date and called for expedited actions in the resettlement and compensation processes by the mining company and stakeholders.
- Reporting by Florence Afriyie Mensah: Editing by Adewale Adejoke