Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve Must Be Saved!

By: Richard Ellimah

The petition presented to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Alhaji Collins Dauda by chiefs of the Akyem Kotoku Traditional Area should leave the entire country worried. According to the Daily Graphic of Thursday, October 1st 2009, the Chiefs represented by the acting President of the Akyem Kotoku Traditional Council, Obrempong Afroteng IV, appealed to the Hon. Minister to, as a matter of urgency, allow Newmont Gold Ghana Limited to mine gold in the Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve. The US multinational mining giant, though was granted a license on the dying embers of the Kufuor regime to mine in the Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve, has yet to start mining because there has been fierce opposition to mining in forest reserves from civil society organisations. The project has come under fire from some civil society organisations, notably WACAM and the National Coalition of Mining (NCOM) who argue that allowing mining in the reserve would disturb the eco-balance of the area. They further contend that considering the rate of deforestation in the country, it will be imprudent to allow further destruction of the few remaining reserves, whether defiled or not. Newmont proposes to dig a pit 2.5 kilometres long, 900 metres wide and 450 metres deep within the Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve. This pit will obviously pose a serious threat to some rare species of animals that are habiting in the reserve including some bird species which cannot be found anywhere else. Furthermore, the existence of several rivers in the country that take their source from the reserve will be threatened. As part of their operations, the company proposes to dump waste at a site that happens to be a royal mausoleum that is sacred to the people. Will Nana Afroteng IV be courageous and look into the eyes of his ancestors when he goes to the village and tell them that he gave out their sacred resting place to a mining company? It is amazing the way mining companies are allowed to desecrate our cemeteries. Elsewhere in other parts of the world, especially Europe and America, cemeteries are very well preserved by the public authorities because they are thought to be sacred. The Arlington Memorial Cemetery is such a beautiful sight to behold. It is unthinkable that the American government will permit mining in such a historic place. In Ghana, under the guise of economic development, we are destroying everything. I would not be surprised if in the near future, important edifices like the Akosombo Dam, Osu Castle and Golden Jubilee House are pulled down because a mineral has been discovered there and the chiefs think they need development!

It is noteworthy that the campaign for mining in the forest reserve has gained momentum in recent months, particularly with chiefs in the area assuming the role of spokespersons of the mining giant. More and more chiefs have been pushing for Newmont to commence mining in the forest reserve, with some of them going on radio to make disparaging remarks about civil society organisations, sometimes describing them as anti-development.

It is really disturbing when chiefs who are supposed to be custodians of the traditions and resources of the people begin to encourage the wanton exploitation of the resources which they are supposed to protect for the unborn generation. Chiefs are not leaders of the present; they are also stewards of the resources of the unborn generation. So while the present have a right to their livelihood, this livelihood should not compromise the ability of the unborn to also come and make a livelihood. In eking out a living therefore, a thought should be spared for the unborn. It is logical to ask whether the Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve would have been existing today, and more so become a subject of controversy if past chiefs had given it out for mining. Let us not forget that besides serving ecological purposes, the forest reserve also serves a spiritual purpose which we cannot ignore. The least the chiefs can do is to preserve what they came to meet.

The chiefs allude to the fact that WACAM has been leading a campaign against Newmont because it is “a deliberate attempt to stagnate the area’s development”. Whether gold mining has led to development has always been a subject of intense debate. But the chiefs should not look too far. Gold has been mined mechanically in Obuasi since 1897. Can we describe what we see in Obuasi as development? Is it the kind of scenario they want played out before them? Tarkwa was the premier mechanical gold mining town in the country. Has the town developed? What constitutes development is left to individual judgement. But what is clear is that the kind of physical development that they are clamouring for will never happen. At least, Obuasi, Tarkwa, Prestea, Kenyasi and other mining towns have proven that mining does not necessarily promote development. It will therefore be sad for the chiefs, out of a misplaced call for “speedy development”, allow the mining giant to destroy the forest reserve.

Already, Ghana has lost more than 80 percent of her forest cover since colonial days. Reserves like Ajenua Bepo and others are the only standing legacy we have to protect and sustain eco-balance in the country. The argument put forth by the chiefs that the reserve is already under threat from galamseyers is untenable. If some people have already encroached on the reserve, the best thing to do is not to further deepen its destruction but to take steps to repair it. If the chiefs have any reason to believe that galamseyers will encroach on the reserve, the best thing for them to do is to liaise with the Minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Forestry Commission and the District Assembly to deal with the problem. Another alternative for them is to do advocacy against galamseying and not call on WACAM to do it for them. You do not allow an organised mining giant to also come and continue the rape. We should not behave like the man who raped his mother and went out to invite his other colleagues to also come and savour a similar experience.

We should be careful we do not give any generation cause to curse us for not being prudent in managing resources for them. The current generation is grappling with climate change because of the way certain environmental decisions were made by our fathers. Do we subject our children and grandchildren to the same problems in the future? I hope we will not forget that as stewards of the land, we would be called one day to account for our stewardship.

The fight to save the Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve is not only WACAM’s fight. May I remind the chiefs that forest reserves are national assets and it does not take an indigene of the area to take measures to protect its sanctity. Indeed, the 1992 Constitution in Article 41 (k) enjoins every Ghanaian to “protect and safeguard the environment”. Saving the Ajenua Bepo Forest Reserve is therefore a civic duty that every Ghanaian must fulfil. So even though they describe WACAM as a Tarkwa-based NGO, they need to know that it is everybody’s to take steps to save the reserve. When the biodiversity of the area changes, it would not respect any tribal or ethnic boundaries. Climate change knows no bounds. I wish to call on other civil society organisations apart from WACAM and the National Coalition of Mining (NCOM) to join hands and save the forest reserve. The silence of the Forestry Commission is too loud for comfort. They have to be at the forefront to save the reserve.

In addressing the concerns of the chiefs, Hon. Collins Dauda should not forget that the chiefs are not the only stakeholders. There are farmers who would also be affected by the project in question. The general Ghanaian citizenry is also looking up to the government to take decisions that will benefit the entire country.

The author is a Journalist and Development Planner based in Obuasi. He can be reached on 0244 514 559 or by email on richellimah@yahoo.com. His postal address is P. O. Box UPO 853, KNUST-Kumasi. Wanton