Ellembelle District to get Community Mining Scheme - Kwasi Bonzoh hints

The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Ellembelle in the Western Region, Kwasi Bonzoh has disclosed that Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources will inaugurate a Community Mining Program in the area.

The Community Mining Program is an initiative instituted by the Akufo-Addo-led government as an alternative to the illegal mining (galamsey) in the country.

It was first inaugurated in July 2019 by President Akufo-Addo at Wassa Akropong in the Amenfi East District of the Western Region.

Speaking to the media at Nzema Aiyinasi, the Ellembelle DCE, Kwasi Bonzoh disclosed that the District Assembly had secured three hundred (300) acres of land to do Community Mining in the area.

He emphasized that the program would be inaugurated in the month of March 2023 to create 300 direct job opportunities for some youth in the District.

"...the youth in the catchment areas have been complaining about unemployment in my District and we are trying to some innovative ways of creating jobs for them and it is for this reason that they have been engaging themselves into galamsey activities. We have been telling them that galamsey is an illegal. Fortunately for we the people of Ellembelle District, the Adamus Mining Company has released some 300 acres of land for the purpose of Community Mining Program", he said.

"We are currently going through the process and I'm sure within this month (March) the project will also be launched and this will take care of a lot of unemployed youth in Ellembelle District so the company Adamus Resources is doing well and they need to be supported and commended

"The fight against galamsey has been very tough in Ellembelle District and we are appealing to the wives in this area to advise their husbands to stop involving themselves into galamsey. We are in anticipation that in the month of March, we should have the project duly launched and over 300 people are expected to be employed in that sector alone and that to us is a lot of employment opportunities", he added.

He said that the Community Mining Program in Ellembelle District would not be used to destroy the water bodies in the area.

"When we talk about Community Mining, what we are going to do is quite unique, it is not the one people call it glofied galamsey, in our case, a company called Ellembelle Community Mining Company is being established and this company is owned by all the 14 Communities that are in the Adamus Mining Company catchment areas, they are shareholders in the company, they are represented by their Chiefs and at the end of the day whiles the Community Mining is going to provide direct employment, the proceeds is also going to the communities"

"Each Community is going to have Community Fund and the payment will be made directly to the Fund and they can use it to do any project of their choice. We have this together with Adamus, the Chiefs and the Paramount Chief of Eastern Nzema Traditional Council", he stated.

He, therefore, called on the good people of Ellembelle District to support the program.

He took the opportunity to commend President Akufo-Addo for introducing Community Mining Program as an alternative livelihood program to support illegal miners in the country.