Youth groups in the Birim North District have pledged their support for the Newmont Akyem Project as a result of the company's excellent commitment to its social responsibility and appealed to government agencies to support the company.
The group included the Stool Lands Owners Association, Executive Committee of the Umbrella Council of Youth Association in Akyem, Birim North Chapter of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GNCCI), Community Consultative Committee (CCC), chiefs, queens, local opinion leaders and district assembly members.
In a statement issued at new Abirem and signed on behalf of the group by Mr Samuel Arko-Mensah, Vice Chairman of GNCCI, they registered their distaste and disagreement with the Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM), on its latest stunt to stop the Newmont Akyem Project.
The statement appealed to the government to ignore the agitation of WACAM and its sponsors and rather support the project, especially in the area of energy.
The statement said the group was convinced that the expected positive benefits of the project far outweigh the damage.
“This conviction is based on three things firstly, on what Newmont has already done at Ahafo, secondly on what we have learnt through our engagements with the company and thirdly the expert advice and technical information shared with local people at the three Ghana Environmental Public Assessment (EPA) public hearings”.
The statement said at the final EPA public hearing held in July last year at Yayaaso, the people of Akyem expressed their support for the project after engaging the company on both the negative and positive impact of the proposed project.
The statement said it was apparent that the project would assure the rapid development of Akyem in five to seven years after the project had started adding that it envisaged a Municipality encompassing all the nine mine communities.
“Even as we wait for the project to start, specific developments results have been achieved including the formation of a functional Chapter of the Chamber of Commerce, the first in the Eastern Region, an Umbrella Council of Youth Associations, and an Apprenticeship Skills training programme for the youth,“ it said.
Community leaders in the Akyem area have reacted to the recent actions of the advocacy group, WACAM, in attempting to halt the Akyem project through publicity tactics such as the Public Eye award. Please see statements made public yesterday by Akyem leaders and signed by 150 community members.
Akyem Project Public Hearing, Yaayaso, Eastern Region, Ghana. Hosted by Ghana Environmental Protection Agency, 4 July 2008
Please read here a selection of Ghanaian media from the July 2008 Akyem Project public hearings held at Yaayaso village, hosted by the Ghanaian Environmental Protection Agency and attended by almost 2000 people.
Accra, 29 January 2009 Newmont’s Akyem project has been studied extensively by international and national environmental experts, members of the communities living in the area, and by agencies and departments of Ghana’s Government. During the past five years, it has been the subject of a thorough environmental impact study process, public consultation processes, an independent review process and overall regulatory review. The project has also engaged directly with numerous community representatives, NGOs, government agencies and international organizations on literally hundreds of occasions. These processes have demonstrated Newmont’s respect for the Akyem community, and its interest in opinions which are supportive or contrary to the company’s views.
While Newmont values opposing views from groups and individuals who have demonstrated seriousness in understanding the project, its impacts and mitigation measures, it is clear that the text nominating Newmont for the “Public Eye award” is misleading in its many inaccuracies describing the Akyem project. Nor was Newmont even told of the nomination or given any opportunity to respond, much less attend the ceremony.
The “Public Eye award” has been issued based on several paragraphs of text which clearly were intended to distort the facts. Every subject raised in the proposal had been studied by Newmont, discussed with the local communities, and presented in the environmental impact study currently being reviewed by the Ghana EPA. Again, these studies were subjected to international and national environmental expert review and that of agencies of the government.
Three public hearings have been held at Akyem by the Ghana EPA, the first two in November 2004 and June 2005. In July 2008, at the final hearing, the Akyem communities demonstrated overwhelming support for the project and this was widely reported in the media.
Newmont has become a leader in Ghana, bringing innovation and high standards in its environmental practices, safety measures, and commitment to social responsibility. At the company’s Ahafo Mine, efforts to protect the environment and its interest in contributing to the improvement of local communities’ standard of living are visible every day. This can be seen in large-scale effective programs such as the Ahafo Agribusiness Growth Initiative and the Ahafo Linkages Program which have assisted thousands of farmers and local business people. At Akyem, the company strives to be an active, contributing, reliable member of the community.
In 2007, Newmont became the first gold company selected to join the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index because of the company’s industry-leading environmental and social performance. Dr Chris Anderson, Newmont Ghana’s Director of Corporate & External Affairs, says: “We continue to welcome serious and thoughtful input regarding our operations, as we seek to continually improve our performance. We welcome those who wish to engage in constructive debate to ensure the project is developed based on mutual respect and the creation of value for those who are affected by our activities."
Meeting with the Chief and Elders of Wamahinso village re Stage 2
A recent move into Africa, a century for prosperity
Nana Owusu Ababio - Gyasehene of Ntotroso
Collaborations and partnerships with community development experts continue to feature prominently in Newmont's community development intervention programs. As a mining company, Newmont seeks participation from community development experts in planning programs that can transform the lives of people within the communities where we work. For more information on these partnerships we have developed, please refer to our flagship projects below.
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