The four chiefs from Prestea at the Ministry of Land and Human Resource
A four-member delegation of Chiefs from the Wassa Fiase Traditional Area in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality of the Western Region on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, petitioned the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to probe the operations of the Future Global Resources (FGR), a mining company based in Bogoso Prestea Huni Valley.
Speaking on behalf of the Delegation, Nana Nteboa Pra IV, Chief of Himan Presta tabled several concerns before the deputy minister starting with the issue of FGR, abandoning their operations and Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) in the area.
Nana Nteboa Pra IV said their lease agreement is not being followed and judging from their level of operations, he fears the miners' operations will soon come to a halt and this may lead to unemployment, and development among others.
The Chief expressed their readiness to assist the mine in any way they can to have the company running again, even if it means injecting some capital into their operations.
The Chief stressed that they want to also record success stories from the mining company as recorded in other communities saying "We know that when they start working effectively, we will also see development and that's what we all want".
The Chief in his submission applauded the government for stating in the 2024 budget to build and repair roads of various mining communities of which the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality falls under the budget.
The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Mines, George Mireku Duker on behalf of the sector assured that the Ministry will probe the concerns by the chiefs and take necessary actions to address the situation.
"We will not take this lightly or sweep it under the carpet. We will ensure that we address this concern and get to the root of it," he stated emphatically.
He promised that Samuel A. Jinapor would address the issues raised and the other party, FGR would also be invited to state their side of the story.
He commended the chiefs for not taking matters into their own hands but following due protocols to get their grievances resolved.
