Minister calls for calm in mining areas

Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Nii Osah Mills, has taken steps to prevent further agitations by residents in the Obuasi Municipality of the Ashanti region, who are up in arms against authorities of AngloGold Ashanti Mining Company Limited.

The youth who are mostly illegal miners took over the mining area after a scuffle with security officials of the company on Tuesday, February 2, 2016 and accused AngloGold Ashanti of preventing access to their concessions.

According to the reports, the youth were accusing the management of AngloGold of violating an agreement with government to release a portion of the mining land for them.

The company had however denied the existence of any such agreement. Military men who were reportedly brought in from Kumasi to ensure order left without finding solution to the impasse.

But speaking to journalists on the issue, Mr. Osah Mills explained that, the agitations came about as a result of the residents and ‘galamseyers’ – illegal miners – were not being allowed to mine.

According to the sector minister, he would attempt to ensure peace in all mining communities and within the industry.

“We will like to have a situation where, in any gold mining area at any given time, there is calm and everything is well-organised in the gold industry.

“Recently there have been agitations in Obuasi. There has been, in fact, demonstrations in the sense that it boils down to the areas where people in Obuasi, who feel they need to do some mining activities to earn income feel that they are not being allowed to do the mining,” he explained.

The minister was in Obuasi recently to have a firsthand information about what the issue on the ground was.

He said his Ministry would find a solution to the issue between the mining company and the galamseyers.

Some angry youth in Obuasi have reportedly taken over the concession of AngloGold in the area.

The Obuasi mine which started operations more than a century in ago and was once listed on the London Stock Exchange and served as the beacon which attracted other mining companies into the country, has in recent times faced dwindling fortunes.