Durbar of chiefs led by Omanhene of Mpasaaso No.1 Traditional Area, Nana Tabiri Gyansah III
The Ashanti Bauxite Limited (ABL) has announced that 1% of its revenue would be set aside for infrastructure development, including schools, hospitals, roads, water, electricity as well as support education in the Nyinahin-Mpasaaso areas.
The 1% revenue, which would be put into a Community Development Fund, forms part of the requirements in a mining lease as sighted by the DAILY GUIDE.
ABL, the Joint Venture Company between the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) and a wholly-owned Ghanaian company, Rocksure International Limited (Rocksure) has been granted a mining lease to develop a bauxite mine with a refinery solution within Nyinahin-Mpasaaso area.
The mining lease includes a second project which will also employ people from the local communities, and has generated interest within the Nyinahin-Mpasaaso communities.
Ankobeahene of Nyinahin, Barima Nana Amoako Ogyampah, at a durbar appealed to Parliament to ratify the mining lease when it resumes sitting next week.
According to him, the 1% Community Development Fund will be the first of its kind in the bauxite mining industry in the country.
Hitherto, the amount of mining companies’ contributions for community development, through their corporate social responsibility (CSR), was not mandatory.
Some community elders have proposed that the money from the 1% Community Development Fund should be put into a trust to be managed by ABL and the community. This, according to them, will ensure that the money can be easily accessed and channeled for developmental projects.
Spokesperson for the Nyinahin Youth Association, Kofi Yeboah, noted that the youth of Nyinahin-Mpasaaso are closely watching the proceedings and expect only one outcome, which is the ratification of the mining lease before dissolution of Parliament.
The mining lease was laid on the floor of Parliament on July 26, 2024, and subsequently referred to the sub-committee of Lands and Natural Resources for their recommendation to Parliament for consideration. The next step is the ratification of the mining lease by Parliament.
A Daily Guide Report