Withdraw Newmont & Adamus Resources face opposition from mining coalition

The National Coalition on Mining (NCOM) has appealed to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw the permits granted to Newmont Ghana Limited and Adamus Resources Limited to mine in the Ajenua Bepo Forest in the Eastern Region and Teleku-Bokazo in the Western Region respectively.


NCOM says that withdrawal of the licences will be in consonance with the position taken against mining in forest reserves by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Collins Dauda.

Addressing a news conference, at which the demand was made, Millicent Gyan-Badu of the Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL) observed that mining especially surface mining, as in the Ajenua Forest Reserve will adversely affect the role of the forest as carbon sink and further speed up climate change. It will also impact negatively on the capacity of rivers linked to the reserve to discharge surface water adequately for the benefit of those living along the banks of those rivers.

“Closely linked to the issue of water is the potential effect of the destruction of the river-ecosystem on rainfall pattern in the area. A publication attributed to the EPA attests to the fact that forests and tree population have important contributions to rainfall distribution. Environmental Scientists have identified the Ajenua Bepo Forest as a major factor in rainfall distribution in the area,” she revealed.

NCOM comprises Third World Network, ISODEC, Civic Response, WACAM, The African Challenge, Forest Watch Ghana, Friends of Nation, Friends of the Earth-Ghana, Community Rights Foundation and Youth for Action Ghana.

Others are PROMAG NETWORK, Green Earth Organization, Action Aid Ghana, FIAN GHANA, Africa Water Network, General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) of TUC, among others.


She insisted that, the EPA has abused the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, one of the pre-requisites for the granting of permits to the detriment of mining communities.

“We register our displeasure in the way the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to subvert and undermine community concerns and public interest, particularly in the recent cases of involving Newmont Ghana Gold Limited and Adamus Resources”.

According to Ms. Gyan-Badu, despite the fact that NCOM has expressed reservations on the granting of permits to the mining firms last year in correspondences and at EIA programmes, the EPA went ahead to grant the permits.

“We made this position clear at the public hearing and the EPA pledged to respond to our demands. We were very much disappointed to learn that the Agency (EPA) without responding to our concerns went ahead to grant Newmont an environmental permit,” she stated.

For its failure to address their concerns, NCOM demanded that the EPA should run parallel capacity building programmes for mining communities to enhance their understanding of the EIA process and environmental impact statement reports. “The Agency (EPA) has the power to and the option to impose a tax deductible levy on the mining companies to fulfill this demand”.

Additionally, it demanded that timely and adequate notification be given to communities before public hearings. “The mode of notification to communities should also take account of the language and unique communication channels instead of limiting notices to the media and District Assembly notice boards”.

Reacting to questions, Abdulai Darimani, Programme Officer and Head of Environment Unit, Third World Network-Africa, explained that, currently there is no technology that could restore a destructive mined forest to its pristine condition.

“We are for mining provided it meets three critical conditions- if it makes significant contributions to the economy, if the processes involved do not lead to environmental degradation and if it does not lead to violation of socio-economic and human rights.”

He added that they would in due course make their views on the issue known to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

On whether the law that spells the operations of the EPA regarding the granting of permit should be reviewed, Ms. Gyan-Badu says the issue is not one of revising the law but it is more of who polices the EPA.

Mr. Kwabena Frimpong who introduced himself as a concerned farmer from Akyem Adausina, the community where the Ajenua Bepo Forest is located, denied recent media reports that the chiefs from the area were in support of the mining in the forest. “What kind of chief will support a project that leads to the destruction of forest and pollution of water bodies which the needs of his people. The report is false.
”He disclosed that the Newmont operations would involve digging the earth to a depth of 450 metres and cover an area of 2.9 km. “ Why don’t they go into underground mining then?” Withdraw Newmont & Adamus Resources face opposition from mining coalition

By Ebenezer Hanson

The National Coalition on Mining (NCOM) has appealed to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to withdraw the permits granted to Newmont Ghana Limited and Adamus Resources Limited to mine in the Ajenua Bepo Forest in the Eastern Region and Teleku-Bokazo in the Western Region respectively.


NCOM says that withdrawal of the licences will be in consonance with the position taken against mining in forest reserves by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Collins Dauda.

Addressing a news conference, at which the demand was made, Millicent Gyan-Badu of the Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL) observed that mining especially surface mining, as in the Ajenua Forest Reserve will adversely affect the role of the forest as carbon sink and further speed up climate change. It will also impact negatively on the capacity of rivers linked to the reserve to discharge surface water adequately for the benefit of those living along the banks of those rivers.

“Closely linked to the issue of water is the potential effect of the destruction of the river-ecosystem on rainfall pattern in the area. A publication attributed to the EPA attests to the fact that forests and tree population have important contributions to rainfall distribution. Environmental Scientists have identified the Ajenua Bepo Forest as a major factor in rainfall distribution in the area,” she revealed.

NCOM comprises Third World Network, ISODEC, Civic Response, WACAM, The African Challenge, Forest Watch Ghana, Friends of Nation, Friends of the Earth-Ghana, Community Rights Foundation and Youth for Action Ghana.

Others are PROMAG NETWORK, Green Earth Organization, Action Aid Ghana, FIAN GHANA, Africa Water Network, General Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) of TUC, among others.


She insisted that, the EPA has abused the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, one of the pre-requisites for the granting of permits to the detriment of mining communities.

“We register our displeasure in the way the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to subvert and undermine community concerns and public interest, particularly in the recent cases of involving Newmont Ghana Gold Limited and Adamus Resources”.

According to Ms. Gyan-Badu, despite the fact that NCOM has expressed reservations on the granting of permits to the mining firms last year in correspondences and at EIA programmes, the EPA went ahead to grant the permits.

“We made this position clear at the public hearing and the EPA pledged to respond to our demands. We were very much disappointed to learn that the Agency (EPA) without responding to our concerns went ahead to grant Newmont an environmental permit,” she stated.

For its failure to address their concerns, NCOM demanded that the EPA should run parallel capacity building programmes for mining communities to enhance their understanding of the EIA process and environmental impact statement reports. “The Agency (EPA) has the power to and the option to impose a tax deductible levy on the mining companies to fulfill this demand”.

Additionally, it demanded that timely and adequate notification be given to communities before public hearings. “The mode of notification to communities should also take account of the language and unique communication channels instead of limiting notices to the media and District Assembly notice boards”.

Reacting to questions, Abdulai Darimani, Programme Officer and Head of Environment Unit, Third World Network-Africa, explained that, currently there is no technology that could restore a destructive mined forest to its pristine condition.

“We are for mining provided it meets three critical conditions- if it makes significant contributions to the economy, if the processes involved do not lead to environmental degradation and if it does not lead to violation of socio-economic and human rights.”

He added that they would in due course make their views on the issue known to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

On whether the law that spells the operations of the EPA regarding the granting of permit should be reviewed, Ms. Gyan-Badu says the issue is not one of revising the law but it is more of who polices the EPA.

Mr. Kwabena Frimpong who introduced himself as a concerned farmer from Akyem Adausina, the community where the Ajenua Bepo Forest is located, denied recent media reports that the chiefs from the area were in support of the mining in the forest. “What kind of chief will support a project that leads to the destruction of forest and pollution of water bodies which the needs of his people. The report is false.
”He disclosed that the Newmont operations would involve digging the earth to a depth of 450 metres and cover an area of 2.9 km. “ Why don’t they go into underground mining then?”