Obuasi residents campaign for the survival of the gold city

A group of concerned residents of Obuasi has embarked on a campaign to demand urgent measures to salvage the local economy of Ghana’s largest gold city from total collapse.
 
AngloGold Ashanti’s downsizing of operations at the Obuasi mine has had significant economic and social impacts in the Obuasi municipality and adjourning districts.

Recent invasion of sensitive areas of the mine by a group of small scale miners has heightened the state of insecurity and stalled the limited mining activities of AGA.

The “Obuasi Must Live Coalition” says the invasion of sensitive areas of AGA’s concession by small scale miners is unacceptable.

At a press conference, Coordinator of the Coalition, Prince Kwame Aboagye, expressed disappointment that in spite of the obvious invasion of the company’s concession by small scale miners, both the Municipal and Regional Security Councils have not thought it expedient to swiftly order security personnel to move in and secure this concession.

“It has become apparent that in their desire to satisfy a group of small scale miners, the RCC is unconsciously killing the very hen that lay the golden egg. We cannot as a country support small scale mining at the expense of the survival of AngloGold Ashanti,” he read a statement by the Coalition.

Whilst calling on both AngloGold Ashanti and the small scale miners to resort to dialogue as the only sustainable means of ensuring a peaceful co-existence, the group says the military should provide security for AngloGold Ashanti to resume their operations.

Among other demands, the group wants government to come clear on measures it has taken to make Anglogold Ashanti’s relinquished 60 percent concession available to small scale miners.

“The Obuasi Municipal Assembly, working with the small scale miners should take advantage of AGA’s offer of free technical support to develop this relinquished concession,” said the statement.

AngloGold Ashanti has also been asked to immediately publish their revised concession of 40 percent which they have kept to ease policing of the concession.

“It is possible to have a thriving AngloGold Ashanti mine, and a booming legally registered and regulated small scale mining industry. There is no reason for conflict between the two…Obuasi must not die,” said Prince Aboagye.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh