The Ada Traditional Authorities and Lagoon Owners Association on Friday agreed to end all differences and disputes on the Songhor Lagoon and allow the government to take active part in salt industry in the area.
The agreement would give way for the President's Special Initiative (PSI) on salt to take off in earnest.
Nene Sorgbordjor Obuade, Development Chief of the Ada Traditional Area, and Dr Sandy Pupulampu an opinion leader and a member of the Lagoon Owners Association, reached the agreement at a forum at Ada on the Songhor Salt Lagoon.
The over four-hour meeting, characterised by occasional protests and outbursts from the youths, opinion leaders and lagoon owners was held in the presence of heavy police personnel
The meeting, said to be the government's last move after previous ones, was attended by the President of the Ada Traditional Council, Nene Kabu Akuaku III, and chiefs from the Terkpebiawe, Lomobiawe and Adibiawe clans and the Ada youth organisations.
Papa Owusu Ankoma, Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, who led a high powered government delegation, asked all the clans, the chiefs, lagoon owners and other stakeholders to commit the agreement into writing through the Greater Accra Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) by April 15 2003, to the Ministerial Committee on Songhor Lagoon as a basis for the President's Special Initiative on salt.
Members of the delegation were part of the Ministerial Committee, formed recently by the Cabinet to meet the chiefs and people of Ada to see how best to end the wrangling on the Songhor Lagoon and make way for investment for higher returns from salt industry in the area.
Papa Ankoma said the Ada community would also benefit from the PSI if it stopped the conflicts to build investor-confidence for the development of salt industry for higher economic returns.
He noted with regret that about two months ago a legislative instrument, laid before Parliament, on the development of the Ada salt industry had to be withdrawn because of strong protests from representatives of some stakeholders, as government was not seeing its way clear.
Papa Ankoma said government believed in consensus, especially on initiatives that affect the people, adding that lack of consensus would not sustain a program that would last for generations.
He said only five percent of the Songhor Lagoon had so far been realised, and despite the interest of several investors in the industry they had to be directed to other regions because there were no clear indications by the local people to accept them.
Papa Ankoma stressed that government was never interested in taking away the land and the lagoon from the people, but was rather in to act as facilitators, adding that it was important to recognise the traditional chiefs in its moves to develop the industry.
Mr Kwadwo Adjei Darko, Minister for Mines said government would not repeal PNDC Law 287, which vested ownership of the Songhor Lagoon to the Government until the real ownership of the Ada lands was established.
Mr Adjei Darko said a total of 32.2 billion cedis were to be used to assist small-scale salt miners this year.
He added that salt miners at Elmina had received 3.2 billion cedis, while 6.2 billion cedis were being processed for those at Nyanyano in the Central Region.
Greater Accra Regional Minister Sheikh Ibrahim Quaye and Presidential Affairs and Information Minister Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey emphasised that the chiefs and people have to get united to pave way for the massive investment to lift the Ada community from the doldrums of poverty.
Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey said only 2,000 acres of the total lagoon surface was being exploited and called on the chiefs and people to do away with their differences to move the President's Initiative on Salt forward, saying it would bring mutual benefits by way of taxes to the government, and the development of infrastructure to the community when investors fulfilled their social responsibilities.
Nene Akuaku III said it was necessary to understand the position of all the authorities concerned before the issue on the Songhor Salt Lagoon could be resolved.
He gave an assurance that the chiefs and people of Ada would take serious steps to ensure peace for the project take off.
The forum also stressed the need to bridge a communication gap between the traditional authority, the lagoon owners and the youth to ensure trust and transparency, which were identified as the bone of contention between the stakeholders.
