We will not cooperate with any salt mining company apart from Seven Seas - Somé Traditional Council

The Somé Traditional Council has served a warning that it would not allow any new company to engage in salt mining activities in the enclave apart from Seven Seas Company Limited.

Torgbiga Adamah III said these on the sidelines of a press briefing at Agbozume.

According to the Paramount Chief, the traditional council was reliably informed that the Adafienu Concession whose legal processes have been completed by Seven Seas, is being reallocated to another company by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for the same purpose, contrary to the agreement the Council reached with Seven Seas Salt Company Ltd.

He said the Council saw this move by the ministry as a slap in the face and a direct infringement on its rights as the allodial owners of the land who needed to be consulted by the state agencies before taking such a vital decision, adding, "this development if anything to go by is not in the interest of the people of Somé and we will not accept it."

Torgbiga Adamah said the reason assigned for the intended reallocation is that two applications submitted by Seven Seas Salt Company Ltd concerning the Adafienu Concession have been cancelled by the current sector minister.

However, he said documentary evidence in the possession of the Council does not support the minister’s actions.

He indicated that Seven Seas Salt Company had provided proof of legally acquiring the Adafienu Concession to the Somé Traditional Council which included :

A letter from the Minerals Commission recommending the company's application letter to the Minister of Lands & Natural Resources, for approval.

A letter from the Minister of Lands & Natural Resources approving the recommendation of the company's application.

A letter dated January 11, 2021, from the Minerals Commission granting the Concession to the company.

"All these documents indicated to us that the company was rightfully granted the Adafienu Concession hence our acceptance of compensations on behalf of our people and consequently agreeing with the company," he said.

Torgbiga Adamah said the Council viewed the Minister’s move as a calculated attempt to deny the area the needed development projects Seven Seas Salt Company intended to initiate for the benefit of the people of Somé.

He indicated that before the coming of the Seven Seas Company, the people had two main economic activities undertaken in the lagoon, which were fishing and salt Winning.

"With the presence of the company, it appeared we have to sacrifice the salt-winning aspect before we could co-exist with the company so it became necessary to have an agreement to regulate this new relationship with the company. It was therefore agreed that the company re-design its salt ponds to allow two Concessions, Agavedzi- Blekusu and Adafienu to serve as water storage ponds only and nothing else, with Adina Concession as Pre-crystallizers and Salt Crystallizers", he said.

We further agreed with the company to allow the communities to continue fishing in the ponds under the supervision of the community leadership, should the company start pumping sea water into the lagoon.

"Everyone can attest to the fact that when the company started testing their pumping machines, the initial seawater that entered the ponds was full of different species of fish, crabs, and shrimps".

"If it were not for the September 17, 2022 drowning incident the economic dynamics of the area would have been completely different by now," he indicated.

He observed that should a new company come into the picture, it would be carrying out its mining activities in the Adafienu Concession which had been reserved by Seven Seas for the purposes stated above.

Torgbiga Adamah added that the fear of the Traditional Council was that should a new company be allowed to carry out actual mining in the Adafienu Concession, that company would be depriving the people of the community their livelihoods of fishing which Seven Seas ensured was protected.

"Should this new company decide to resort to the pumping of seawater into the Adafienu Concession for its operations, there is no ground space anywhere at Adafienu for pumping the water through to the Concession," he observed.

"The people of Adafienu have served notice that they would not allow any such activity in their community," Torgbiga Adamah stressed.

The Paramount Chief further said the Somé Traditional Council was solidly behind Seven Seas Salt Company as it was convinced that the company meant well for the residents of the enclave, adding that any attempt to annex the Adafienu Concession from Seven Seas Company would be resisted by the Council and people of Somé.

Torgbiga Adamah further said in the heat of all the back and forth about the Adafienu Concession and the ensuing matters, the Traditional Council petitioned Archibald Letsa, the Volta Regional Minister for a reversal of that decision by the Lands and Natural Resources Minister but said the Council was surprised no action had been taken on their petition till date.

He, therefore, appealed to the government and the sector minister to reconsider the decision and to give its full support to Seven Seas Salt Company in its quest to embark on developmental projects in the area to augment the government's efforts, including the construction of a jetty (mini harbour) within the Ketu South Municipality to enhance its operations within the ECOWAS sub-region, in addition to the salt winning works which he observed had created meaningful employment to many residents of the area.

Meanwhile, Adams Mensah, the Public Relations Manager of Seven Seas Company Limited in an interview with this reporter said if the claims by the sector minister were anything to go by, "then I believe the Minister was not properly briefed on the issues on the ground as pertains to the Adafienu Concession and the general nature of the operations of our company."

He said the company in 2020, sent an application to the Minerals Commission and a letter granting the Adafienu Concession to carry out its operations there after the then sector minister approved recommendations and statutory fees duly paid by the company.

He, therefore, wondered how an application that had been submitted and approved since 2020 and official documents provided to the company could now be canceled after the company had duly paid for its annual mineral and ground rights to the relevant institutions.

He said Seven Seas was a law-abiding company that had since its inception adhered to the laid down laws and regulations governing mining activities in the country and would continue to cooperate with the government and all relevant institutions about it's operations.