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Revoke Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve Mining Permit –
Coalition
Accra, May 28, Ghanadot/GNA
– A Coalition of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and civil
society organisations have called on Government to revoke the
permit given to Newmont Akyem Project to mine in the Ajenua Bepo
Forest Reserve in the Eastern Region. It
said if the Government revoked the permit it would send the
right signals to all that “forest reserves are no go zones for
mining” and show that Ghana was ready to implement the ECOWAS
Directive on the Harmonisation of the Guiding Principles and
Policies in the Mining Sector. Speaking
at a press conference in Accra, Mr Kwabena Bomfeh, Spokesperson
for the Coalition, made up Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL);
Youth for Action Ghana (YAG); Centre for Labour Rights and Wassa
Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM), among
others, said the permit given to Adamus Resources to mine in
Teleku Bokazo, Aniwa and Nkroful, all in the Western Region,
should also be revoked. He said the
revocation of the permit was the only sure way of stopping the
conflicts that had been generated as a result of the intended
mining operations and would also show that the Government was
ready to respect the sovereign rights of communities to oppose
mining in their areas. The Coalition
expressed its happiness about the Council of ECOWAS Foreign
Ministers’ conclusion of the adoption process of the ECOWAS
Directive on the Harmonisation of Guiding Principles and
Policies in the Mining Sector in Abuja, Nigeria on 26 May 2009.
It commended the Government for taking active
part in the adoption process and the putting in place of an
Action Plan, which outlined step by step approach to the
adoption of a common mining code for the Sub-Region by 2012.
Other members of the coalition include; Centre
for Labour Rights (CLR); Foodfirst Information Action Network (FIAN)
and Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC).
GNA
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