Nana Kwesi Ansah
The people of Huniso, a primary host community of Gold Fields Ghana Limited, have argued that the mining company has executed enough development projects to warrant the renewal of its mining lease for the Tarkwa mine.
According to them, the mining company has made significant economic contributions not only to the primary host community but also to other communities within its catchment area and beyond.
They highlighted the construction of school buildings, roads, and health facilities, as well as the provision of water projects and scholarships, among other interventions.
Consequently, they indicated that denying the renewal of the company’s lease when it expires next year could spell doom for the communities and undermine investor confidence in the country’s mining industry.
“What wrong has Gold Fields done? Has the company breached any law in this country? The answer is no,” they pointed out.
Addressing journalists at Huniso yesterday, the community members said, “Apart from the national grid, all the other projects you see here were provided by Gold Fields.”
“All the schools, health facilities, roads, and water projects were provided by Gold Fields. The company has also given jobs to our qualified youth,” they stated.
Speaking at the well-attended media engagement, the spokesperson for the Concerned Youth of the area, Nana Kwesi Ansah, appealed to those suggesting that the mine should be handed over to a local entrepreneur to stop.
“Interestingly, most of the traditional leaders whose domains do not host Gold Fields, but who received huge support from their respective foundations, are calling for the non-renewal of the mine’s lease.
“President John Mahama should rather listen to us because we are the largest host community of Gold Fields, and we have experienced nothing untoward,” he noted.
He, however, insisted that the government should renegotiate better lease renewal terms with Gold Fields rather than cancelling the lease agreement entirely.
He mentioned that in the Wassa Fiase and Apinto areas, there are other mining companies operating, including the Ghana Manganese Company, Golden Star Akyempem, and AngloGold Ashanti.
“It is, therefore, completely illogical to evaluate Gold Fields alone by pointing to development gaps in areas where Gold Fields does not even operate,” he argued.
He added that a large-scale mining asset like that of Gold Fields requires massive capital investment, deep financial capability, and world-class technical expertise to sustain operations.
He said the people of Huniso, in the Apinto Divisional Area, expect traditional leaders to point out major shortfalls in the existing contract terms and advise the government to insist on better contract terms instead of outright cancellation.
Paul Tonyeviade, a youth representative from the Akon host community, asked, “What exactly has Gold Fields done to deserve this level of opposition, particularly over its lease renewal?”
He then called on major stakeholders to appreciate the contributions of the mining company to its various host communities over the years.
Nana Kofi Twum, an opinion leader in Huniso, concluded by stating that the area has never witnessed development projects as massive as those provided by Gold Fields.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Huniso