GIVE MINING BETTER IMAGE (FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2009)

UNDER normal circumstances, there should be no controversy over the position that communities from where resources are derived should not be adversely affected by the extraction of such natural endowments.
Unfortunately, that appears to be the lot of many mining communities in the country.
Apart from the hazards associated with extraction, the communities face the challenges of poverty, deprivation and squalor.
The typical scene that confronts any visitor to a mining community is the sharp contrast between the beauty that adorns the settlements of mining executives and the squalor of the communities who actually owe the mineral resources.
The many years of neglect of the communities by mining companies has left a sour taste in the mouths of many Ghanaians, particularly our leaders. But the concerns of mining communities were yesterday articulated by President John Evans Atta Mills when he received a delegation of AngloGold Ashanti at the Castle, Osu.
There is no doubt that mining companies have discharged their social responsibilities by building clinics and schools, making handsome donations, providing electricity, among other social amenities. As of now, the mining sector offers employment to 36,000 people and contributes 38 per cent of the national export revenue.
That notwithstanding, the DAILY GRAPHIC cannot agree more with the President when he said considering the wealth generated from the extraction of mineral resources in the mining areas, in comparison with the poverty levels among the people, it was quite clear that mining concerns had relegated, to a considerable extent, the well-being of the people to the periphery of their activities.
The message to the mining companies is simple: They should do more than they have done so far. They should be able to initiate programmes to minimise the environmental impact of their operations and ensure that the people in their immediate vicinities benefit from their heritage.
A study indicates that 79 per cent of people affected by mining operations are not satisfied with their compensation packages. Compensation should not only cover the payment of cash but should be extended to land for farming activities and financial investment.
The DAILY GRAPHIC, therefore, proposes the establishment of a mining development fund along the lines of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) devoted to the development of mining communities.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should also be more aggressive and hold the mining companies to their environmental assessment programmes.
We are of the view that we should have a second look at our mining laws. The area that deals with the payment of compensation for land, crops and buildings is not favourable to the mining communities. Any review of the law should also adjust upwards the percentage of mineral revenue paid as royalty so that the people can benefit more from their resources.
But while a look is being taken at the broad legal framework guiding mining operations, the government should seek partnership to bring to fruition the dreams of our forebears to add value to our natural resources. The time for a gold refinery is now to help the country to earn more from its gold resources.
The DAILY GRAPHIC calls for joint efforts between players in the mining sector and the government to find lasting solutions to the concerns of mining communities.