Bugudon Company to begin mining operation soon

Asamankese (E/R), April 27, GNA - Bugudon Company Limited (BCL), a mining company in the Awaham community of the Eastern Region, is set to begin mining operation in the district.

Mr Kwame Dzadey Junior (Jnr), Managing Director of BCL in an interview with the Ghana News Agency on Tuesday, said the company deals in mineral mining with focus on gold.

Mr Dzadey Jnr said 15th May 2011 was set to install plants and commissioned its test operation for work to start. He said the company had put in place measures to reassess its reserve base, which were economically viable and feasible to enable them to reactivate the mining operation. Mr Dzadey Jnr said the company had been able to procure the first trial machine, which processed about 100 tons of gold per an hour capacity.

He noted that measures had been put in place to ensure the safety of the community in its operations. Mr Dzadey Jnr explained that one of the measures was to recycle the water pump from the main stream without rain washing and sending the water back to the stream. He also said a bore-hole company had been contacted to reactivate and drilled new holes in the various strategic areas with more population.

Mr Dzadey Jnr reiterated that its outfit has a chemical called flocolant, which helps to purify stored water to enable it to be used for longer time without having anything to do with the main stream. He said the company in future, intended to tackle other minerals like illminite, which contained minerals such as titanium, the strongest metal so far used for aircraft and other medicinal purposes. Mr Dzadey Jnr said to give back to the society; a social responsibility agreement was signed with the community for which seed money of 50,000 dollars was agreed. He said an initial deposit of five thousand dollars was paid, which was used by the community to renovate schools and other developmental projects.

Mr Dzadey Jnr said the remaining 45,000 dollars had been withheld following an advice from the Municipal Assembly and the Security Council, to first solve a misunderstanding between the chief of Awaham and some stakeholders. Mr Dzadey Jnr said he had requested the Municipal Assembly to set up a committee, which includes the Awaham community, Minerals Commission and the regional Security Council to have a fair assessment of the land.

He said the company's objective was to use part of the money to build community centre, which would include the chief's mansion, schools, hospitals and social centres. He said this would help to compensate the affected parties or individuals that occupied the land under the statutory law for assessment and evaluation. Mr Elike Atsu, the General Manager of BCL, said the company established in 1985, acquired its license in 1986 after going through a successful processing program. Mr Atsu said the company had part of its concession covered with a mining lease for which it started mining in 1993 but stopped in 1995 due to several challenges. He said the company finally had its license renewed in March 2010 after going through the necessary procedures. Mr Atsu said the mining capacity covered about 8.445 square kilometers of land and a prospective land of 19.72 square kilometers. 27 April 11