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Farming
communities say no to gold mining
Goaso (B/A) Jan. 29, Ghanadot/GNA – The people of Fianko and
surrounding farming communities in Asunafo North
Municipality in Brong Ahafo have petitioned against a
proposed gold mining activity in the area by Keengan Company
Limited, a Kumasi-based mining firm.
The other communities are Nfama, Subriso, Gyasikrom,
Drobakrom, Kwamekrobo and Fokuokrom.
In a petition to the Municipal Chief Executive, Alhaji
Abubakar Bonsu copied to other stakeholders in the
Municipality, signed by 10 opinion leaders said cocoa
farming was their major source of livelihood.
They contended that yielding to the exploration activity by
the company would mean a denial of their income and would
jeopardize their lives as well as the future of their
children.
Nana Awuah, Akyeamehene of Fianko, told the GNA in an
interview “it will be suicidal for our farms to be destroyed
by the mining activity as our entire lives have depended on
them, no matter the compensation that will be paid to us”.
One of the farmers, who did not disclose his name, disclosed
that the mining company had already made identification
marks on the cocoa trees and this had kept them pondering
over the issue daily.
He appealed to the government to come to their aid so that
they would not be deprived of their source of livelihood.
When contacted on the phone, Mr Kyei Baffour, Public
Relations Officer of the mining company, explained that
officials of the company and the MCE had already met with
and “explained things” to the people.
He said the company was “only doing exploration now” and did
not even have the mining licence so the people should not
entertain fears that their farms would be destroyed.
“We don’t have funds now as our investor partners have
withdrawn from the exploration field. We can’t mine now
because we don’t have the mining licence,” the PRO said.
GNA
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