Gh Environment, a non-profit conservation and environmental platform, has called on Newmont Africa to temporarily halt the exploration works at its Ahafo North Project, pending amicable settlement of the key concerns of affected farmers.
In its report issued after a three-day field visit to the communities where the mining giant is currently taking steps to mine, Gh Environment noticed that Newmont had begun clearing people’s farmlands at Terchire, Afrisipakrom and Susuanso, even though most of these lands are under litigation.
“It was revealed that Newmont Africa had entered the lands of some farmers by unlawfully destroying their farm properties without the consent of the owners or negotiating payment of compensation for their farm properties. The destroyed properties comprise teak trees, cocoa farms, palm trees, and food crops,” Gh Environment said in the report.
The report named some of the affected farmers as John Mensah, who is the chairman of the Concern Farmers Association at Terchire, Beatrice Mensah, Yaw Paul Asare, Abraham Amo Mensah, Gabriel Kofi Nelson, and Emmanuel Kwame Marfo and almost 80 others.
Livelihoods destroyed
The report emphasizes that the affected farms serve as the main sources of livelihoods for these farmers who contend that they have no other sources of livelihoods after witnessing the destruction of their farm properties without any compensation from Newmont Africa.
“As part of its lands clearing activities in the Ahafo North Mine Project, Newmont Africa has also not spared the fish farmers in the area as hundreds of ponds have been destroyed or polluted, including the fishpond of the 2020 Ahafo Regional Best Fish Farmer, Mr Sampson Owusu,” the report revealed.
It mentioned some of the affected fish farmers as Nana Bonin Nkrawiri IV, Samson Owusu, Amoako Anthony, Moses Addai, Justice Kwame Ntim, Damptey Agyemang Peter, Enoch Damptey Agyemang, Andrews Adu-Amankwa, Paul Yaw Asare, Ahmed Said Addai, Issaka Abudu, Georgina Tamakloe, Agyen Hayford, Abdul Hamid Issaka, Grace Antwiwaa and Christopher Kwarteng.
“The 2020 Ahafo Best Fish Farmer confirmed to our mission team that, despite the massive destruction and its negative toll on the livelihood of the fish farmers, Newmont has denied any liability for payment of compensation on the grounds that the fishponds were Speculative Development,” the report said.
Petition
In a petition dated September 22, 2023, lawyers for the fish farmers challenged Newmont’s claim that the fish farming business was speculative, describing Newmont’s position as totally erroneous and flouting all mandatory statutory provisions relative to the payment of compensation to persons affected by mining activities.
The petition from the Chambers of S.K. Boafo and Co gave a 14-day notice from the receipt of the letter to pay adequate compensation to the affected fish farmers but after more than a month, the farmers had received no reply from Newmont Africa, even though their source of livelihood has been taken away from them.
Gh Environment further urged Newmont Africa to quickly withdraw all court cases against some members of the Concerned Farmers at Terchire for an amicable settlement through a mediator.
Newmont was yet to respond to the issues raised at the time of filing this report even though the content of the Gh Environment report had been made available to the management of the company for a response.
Ahafo North mine
Described by Newmont Africa as the best-unmined gold deposit in West Africa, the Ahafo North Project in the Tano North District of the Ahafo Region received approval from the Board of Directors of the mining giant on July 15, 2021, advancing the Project into the execution phase.
Located approximately 30 kilometers north of Newmont’s existing Ahafo South operations, the Ahafo North Project will include four open pit mines and the construction of a stand-alone mill.
Production from the Ahafo North Project will average approximately 275,000 to 325,000 gold ounces and it is expected that more than three million ounces of gold will be produced over an initial 13-year mine life.
The project will cover five major communities- Yamfo, Adrobaa, Techire, Susuanso and Afrisipakrom all located in the Tano North Municipality.
Located approximately 30 kilometers north of Newmont’s existing Ahafo South operations, the Ahafo North Project will include four open pit mines and the construction of a stand-alone mill.
Production from the Ahafo North Project will average approximately 275,000 to 325,000 gold ounces and it is expected that more than three million ounces of gold will be produced over an initial 13-year mine life.
The project will cover five major communities – Yamfo, Adrobaa, Techire, Susuanso and Afrisipakrom all located in the Tano North Municipality.
