Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, has given notice that the administration of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will not stand by and let AngloGold Ashanti to fail as a result of the activities of illegal mining. This was communicated by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.
Speaking to some small-scale miners in Obuasi as part of his tour to meet with various stakeholders to find ways to address the issue of illegal mining in the area, Mr Jinapor minced no words in stating that the government is always for responsible mining whether large or small scale, hence implored illegal miners to join government in upholding the principle of responsible mining.
A week has passed since illegal miners broke into the Anglogold Ashanti Obuasi Mine's Cote D'or mining site and then refused to come out of the mine in order to avoid being arrested. The Minister's visit to the mining town has taken place during this time.
Following the incident, around 79 illegal miners who used the egress were taken into custody. After that, sixteen additional individuals who attempted to intrude upon Anglogold's concession were also apprehended.
The event has made the already tense relationship between members of the community and Anglogold Ashanti even more difficult.
During the conference, Mr. Abu Jinapor criticized the strategy that the illegal miners had employed to try to prevent the miners who had been captured from being sentenced to jail.
He stated that threatening people or wreaking havoc was not the appropriate way to deal with the current circumstance.
In a bid to acquire a comprehensive briefing of the challenges, the Minister accompanying his deputy minister, George Mireku Duker, conducted closed-door meetings with the Obuasi Municipal/Obuasi East Security Councils, traditional leaders and management of AngloGold Ashanti Ghana, Obuasi Mine.
Following the discussions, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources gave a press conference in which he reassured AngloGold Ashanti of the government's dedication to the protection of the mine. He also told AngloGold Ashanti that the government will work to find a long-term solution to the impasse that exists between illegal miners and AngloGold Ashanti.
Kofi Adams, the chairman of the small-scale miners in Obuasi, stated after the meeting with the Minister that it was obvious that there could not be long-term solutions to the problems that are currently being faced. Adams made this statement after the meeting concluded.
He suggested that AngloGold Ashanti hand over two of its defunct mine sites to the small-scale miners along with the appropriate documentation for the transfer of ownership.
"This is the only solution to our differences with the AGA," the president said. We feel that if AGA provides us with these sites together with the appropriate documents, we will be able to lobby investors to the sites without exposing them to any risk.