Hey, like this? Why not share it with a buddy?
UNDOUBTEDLY, Northern Ghana is becoming a hub of mining activities with the discovery of mineral resources, particularly gold deposits in large quantities in many communities.However, the struggle for this natural resource is brewing seeming conflicts and misunderstandings in these areas.Already, some communities are bearing the brunt of this foreseen phenomenon.For instance, in the Upper West Region, disputes over access and control over mining concessions have been raging on for some time now.
Azumah Resources Ltd, a prominent mining firm prospecting for gold in the area, finds itself embroiled in accusations of monopolising mining concessions to the detriment of locals in the host communities. The situation is not different from that of the Upper East Region where Earl International Group, a mining firm operating in the area, continues to face off against illegal miners in violent clashes.
Security operatives flashing out illegal miners from a concession in the Upper East Region.
The disturbances said to be centred on the company’s mining concessions have not only resulted in fatalities but have also heightened insecurity in the area.
Situation
The developments paint a clear picture of conflicts on natural resources unfolding in many communities in the five regions of the north.
In recent times, conflicts over natural resources have become very rampant raising security concerns. The area, which abounds with rich natural resources such as minerals, arable lands and water bodies, has become a hotspot for disputes pitting the livelihoods of locals against the economic interest of mining firms.
A recent study has identified that there are currently about 64 different types of natural resource conflicts across 45 communities and 19 districts in the five regions of the north.
The study conducted by TAMA Foundation Universal, a non-governmental organisation into natural resource governance, conflict prevention and peacebuilding in collaboration with the Faculty of Natural Resources and Environment of the University for Development Studies (UDS) with funding from Ford Foundation, shows that some of the conflicts have been partially resolved while others were active and had the potential to spark violent confrontations.
Dr Chrys Anab, Environmental and Natural Resources Expert
The findings show that 28.1 per cent of the conflicts involve gold mining; farmer-herder conflicts, 23.4 per cent; sand and gravel winning, 6.1 per cent; charcoal production, 9.4 per cent; illegal tree felling, 11 per cent, and farmland, 3.1 per cent.
The rest are encroachment on protected areas, 7.8 per cent; non-implementation of social responsibility agreements, 4.7 per cent; group hunting conflict, 1.5 per cent, and competition with migrant farmers 1.5 per cent.
Concerns
In the Duu enclave in the Wa East District in the Upper West Region, Azumah Resource Ltd is currently prospecting for gold on its concession.
However, a visit to the community saw some illegal miners mount their equipment and busily mining illegally in the protected concession.
An illegal miner, Hakim Yussif, recounted how he and his accomplice were recently attacked and had their equipment seized by security operatives protecting the mining concession.
“We are indigenes of the community but we are not benefiting from the gold deposit in our community so the only option for us is to engage in the illegal mining,” he lamented.
Another illegal miner, Salifu Rahaman, asked that the company cede portions of the concession to the locals to also mine.
Some illegal miners busily grinding rock samples for gold
For now, the community members are accusing the mining firm of taking charge of all the mining concessions and not compensating them for the lost lands and livelihoods while the firm argues that it was operating within a legal framework.
An opinion leader of the Duu community, Issifu Bolili, said the presence of the military in their lands near mining concessions was scaring the residents from going to their farms and also going about their daily activities.
He alleged that some military personnel had been carrying out unwarranted attacks on the locals while destroying their properties.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the Assemblyman for the Duu Electoral Area, Sonko Gafaru, corroborated claims by the illegal miners and the opinion leader, adding that there seemed to be tension in the community due to the military presence in the area.
“We are sitting on gold but we are poor and suffering. For the past years, the community members have been trying to acquire licences for small-scale community mining but to no avail.
“Now, what we want is for the Minerals Commission and other relevant authorities to intervene to help address the issues amicably,” he said.
Licensed firms
The situation is the same in the Dorimon community in the Wa West District and Cherikpong area in the Nadowli-Kaleo District, where there are mining concessions.
Checks at the Wa District Office of the Minerals Commission revealed that there were five registered large and small-scale mining firms operating in the area. They are Azumah
Resource Ltd, Hajj One Resource Ltd, Wakida Resource Ltd, Tajjaa Bunyini Resource Ltd and Hifaks Ghana Mining Ltd.
This reporter (far left) interacting with some community members at Duu in Upper West Region
Apart from the small-scale firms, which were permitted to mine, Azumah Resource Ltd had a prospecting licence and was currently not engaged in full-scale mining, checks revealed.
A source at the Minerals Commission office said: “Azumah Resource Ltd acquired the concessions some decades ago, so before the community members got to know about the benefits of the gold, it had already legally acquired large concessions in the region, so legally they own all the concessions”.
Reaction
Reacting to the claims, a Senior Community Relations Officer of Azumah Resources Ltd, Solomon Dery, debunked all the allegations levelled against the company and explained that the military personnel were only deployed to protect the concessions not to brutalise the people.
He pointed out that the company was currently prospecting but not engaged in full-scale mining as purported, adding that it had even ceded portions of its concessions to the host communities to engage in community mining but the illegal miners continued to encroach on the concessions.
He indicated that it had intensified engagements with its host communities to deepen relations and address all their concerns as it prepared to commence full-scale mining soon.
Clashes
Similarly, at Gbane, a mining community in the Talensi District in the Upper East Region, a simmering dispute over mining concessions continues to erupt, turning the once peaceful community into a security zone.
The escalating clashes between illegal miners and security operatives protecting the mining concession of Earl International Group Gold Ltd, a mining firm engaged in large-scale mining, have claimed many lives over the years.
In 2019, 16 people lost their lives in mining pits within the firm’s concession. The residents accused the company of negligence, resulting in the incident.
An uncovered deep pit at the Manwe mining site in the Upper West Region
Also, two persons were reported dead and others injured in a clash involving local miners and the military in the mining community on March 15, 2024.
The Daily Graphic’s investigation revealed that local miners protested the operations of the security services to halt the activities of illegal mining on a concession belonging to Earl
International Group Gold Ltd, previously called Shaanxi Gold Mining Company.
The operations, which involved the sealing up of illegal mining pits, led to tension between the locals and the military as some of the miners, including women, protested the actions of the military.
In an attempt to control the protestors, the military allegedly opened fire on them leading to the death of the two and injuring others in the process.
Illegal mining site in Wa East District
The company is said to have been brought to the area by some small-scale miners to provide mining support services to them. However, it later acquired a licence for large-scale mining, a development that did not go down well with the local miners.
Sustainable mining
For the Savannah Research and Advocacy Network (SRAN), an advocacy group championing community rights and mining governance, the locals have not benefited much from the mineral deposit in the area.
The Executive Director of the network, Nyeya Yen, stated, “We are deeply concerned about the loss of several lives and the impact of the mining activities on the community, the host communities must have a share of the wealth the company is making.”
He, however, called for sustainable solutions that respected both the legal mining rights and the interest of the host communities in all mining concessions in the region.
Response
In response, the Assistant Public Relations Officer of Earl International Group Gold Ltd, Albert Azongo, explained that the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2021 with the owners of some concessions on which the small-scale miners in the area mined.
Per the agreement, he said, the small-scale miners were to relinquish interest in their concessions to the company and that they were now shareholders of the concessions.
“We are not in conflict with the community members but we are only concerned about illegal miners whose activities threaten our concession, so all we are doing is to protect it.
“The company holds a large-scale mining lease, which has been rightfully ratified by Parliament, covering an area of 16.02sq.km. In this case, it largely has to do with impending interference and looming danger to the miners working in that area,” he pointed out.
Security threat
In a recent interview, an Environmental and Natural Resources Governance Expert, Dr Chrys Anab, said conflicts on natural resources, when not addressed effectively and in good time, could undermine trust among stakeholders and increase insecurity, which affected the efficient exploration of resources.
Dr Anab, who is the Co-founder and Executive Director of TAMA Foundation Universal, therefore, called for more collaboration among community members, regulatory agencies, private companies involved in natural resource extraction and CSOs to help resolve all seeming conflicts and misunderstandings over natural resources.
To that end, he indicated that his outfit was working with local community members and mining companies to resolve these conflicts using non-violent mechanisms rather than violence.
Way forward
As conflicts on natural resources, particularly gold rages on, it highlights the complex interplay between environmental sustainability, economic development and community livelihoods.
The unfolding crisis in Gbane, Duu, Manwe, and many other communities in the Upper West and Upper East Regions serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for coordinated efforts to combat illegal mining and chart a sustainable course towards equitable development.
Also, there must be strict enforcement of the natural resources regulations and laws to ensure efficient and effective exploration of the resources for the benefit of the people.
Writer’s email:mohammed.fugu@graphic.com.gh
