Group demands Anglogold Ashanti to cede abandoned mining sites for community mining

A youth group in Obuasi known as Obuasi Youth Community Mining Association has appealed to the president and traditional leaders to impress upon AngloGold Ashanti to cede its abandoned concessions to them to be used for community mining.

This is the umpteenth time galamsey operators are making such demands from AngloGold Ashanti. Not a long ago, a group at Sanso, in the Obuasi Municipality organised a press conference to demand AngloGold Ashanti to release a site at Sanso for them to mine on.

In May, 2023 some illegal miners were reported to have been trapped at Cote D'or, an old mine concession of AngloGold Ashanti. This resurrected the age long conversation on the relationship between AngloGold Ashanti and illegal miners.

This time, Emmanuel Kofi Ayamga, the leader of the Group who held the press conference and appealed to the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo the Municipal Chief Executive for Obuasi and the District Chief Executive for Obuasi East to impress upon the management of AngloGold Ashanti to release their abandoned concessions to be commissioned as a community mining.

The Community Mining scheme is a policy rolled out by the government to tackle illegal mining by encouraging locals living in mining communities to undertake responsible, viable and sustainable small scale mining under the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703).

Ayamga in a press conference mentioned abandoned sites like Cut 3 or pillar, White House, Kaaso, Adansi and Sanso Nsuoakye as areas which the company is no more working there but are rather used as a dumping site.

He added that members of the association strongly believe that if these areas are commissioned as community mining sites, it can employ over 30,000 youths directly in Obuasi that will minimize the rate of unemployment within Obuasi and its environs.

He further explained the observations made by the association in their press statement;

"The management of AngloGold Ashanti always claim they have released 70% of their concession to the communities for mining activities but there is no proven prospect of gold bearing land among the 70% of the claimed concession by AngloGold. If there is a proven prospect of gold on the said lands the company wouldn’t have given 70% of the land to the communities and acquire just 30%

"The management of the company claim they have released Dwaboso pit to the communities. Dwaboso pit is an old pit full of water, which the drainage of the water was a big challenge for the company itself. Some investors with heavy drainage machines have tried draining the water for over 2 years but to no avail

"We believe that the exercise of the management and administrative authorities of the company against us is arbitrary and capricious which should not be allowed

"The occasional use of state security by the company to brutalize and torment the young people in search of livelihood without destroying the environment should not be entertained

"The Member of Parliament for Obuasi East Hon. Dr. Patrick Boakye demonstrated with us in 2016 for us to know how needful it is for AngloGold to release their abandoned sites to the unemployed youths of Obuasi for community mining purposes, but he has kept mute after gaining power to represent the people of Obuasi in parliament

"We would like to ask our traditional rulers and government officials that will they be happy and applaud for the management of the company if they use the state security to kill all the indigenes of Obuasi for the benefit of the company"

The leader of the group also made a passionate appeal to the president.

He said "It is for these reason that we as lawful indigenes desirous of engaging in a lawful enterprise write to invite you the President of Ghana with the constitutional duty of managing the affairs of the country to intervene to find amicable solution for the benefit of all parties. We believe that without human security the state security cannot materialize."