Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin
Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin has tasked three committees of the House to continuously engage locals of Ada Songor and the investors from Electrochem Ghana Limited to resolve the impasse over salt mining activities in the enclave.
The committees are the Land and Natural Resources, Employment and Labour Relations, and the Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs Committees.
Speaker Bagbin noted that as the people’s representatives, Parliament had a great commitment to the people of Ada. He charged the committees to honour this responsibility by showing up in the community and speaking directly with the people.
“The investor has to be protected to continue the development of the project and be assured of his fair investment returns in the project. But above all, we present the interest of the people and that is paramount. And so the committees I have mentioned, please this is a standing directive: visit the area, the site, the people and engage them as leaders, not as combatants."
“The debate has been carried on as if you are part and parcel of the parties, you are not. You are to create the avenue for a peaceful settlement of this long-standing dispute,” the Speaker told lawmakers.
Mr. Bagbin’s directive comes after the House greenlighted Electrochem Ghana Limited’s mining operation in the area.
House Majority Whip, Frank Annor-Dompreh in his contribution during the debate revealed that the investors had made some concessions on the land which spoke to their preparedness to engage indigenes on the matter.
“I can understand the Member of Parliament and other colleagues who hail from that area. You are concerned about welfare issues,” he said on the floor of the House. “Some of the indigenes want to have access to the resource: This is a genuine concern but don’t forget the investor has a legal mandate and Mr. Speaker, Electrochem has gone to the extent of making some of the land available to some of the citizens to the people.”
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