An appeal has gone to the central government to take steps to resolve the standoff between some aggrieved residents of Newmont Ahafo North mining communities and the company. This is due to compensation misunderstandings.

Some individuals are in court seeking to injunct Newmont from developing its Ahafo North mines area.

The project is expected to inject about 850 million dollars into the economy of the local communities and Ghana as a whole.

Some stakeholders insist the stalling of the project is not in the interest of the larger populace as the majority of them have planned their lives around the project.

Focus, a non-governmental organization, committed to promoting community development, environmental sustainability, and human rights, said hundreds of people have benefited from scholarships, economic empowerment, social amenities, and infrastructure, with over 22 million dollars paid in compensations in the ten Ahafo project communities.

These benefits, most of them halted due to the court case, are expected to improve the livelihoods of the affected persons even before the company starts operations at Ahafo North.

Other benefits, according to Focus, are that the project will drive the local economy, and attract investors, and the area becomes a priority for the government.

Focus believes this should be of interest to all stakeholders, especially the government, during deliberations.

At a press conference at Susuanso in the Tano North District of the Ahafo Region, the Secretary of Focus, Victor Gyabaah, explained that there are two categories of people who own properties in the project areas - those who had properties before the mining area declaration in 2017 and those who acquired properties after the declaration.

A visit to some of the communities indicates new roofing sheet structures continue to spring up with the anticipation of being compensated.

Mr. Gyabaah said these situations resulted in stakeholders’ efforts to find solutions to them.

Whereas the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Agency, Ahafo Regional Coordinating Council, Tano North Municipal Assembly, Chiefs, and other relevant stakeholders, were handling the compensations involved with properties after the 2017 Mining Area Declaration, the Ahafo North Resettlement and Negotiation Committee is also mandated to handle properties before the declaration.

But the misunderstanding on the way forward raged on even with the involvement of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, King of the Ashanti Kingdom, until the aggrieved ones, led by Enoch Kofi, went to the Sunyani High Court to halt Newmont from developing the site.

They pray to the court on claims of "An order directed at the defendant to accept and recognize a qualified expert or person engaged by the plaintiffs to represent them in negotiation and assessments of fair and adequate amount of compensation payable to the plaintiffs, a declaration that any decision by any negotiation committee without the involvement of a qualified person or expert engaged by plaintiffs is null and void and without legal effect, and an order directed at the defendant to strictly comply with the laws, rules, and regulations for negotiation, assessment, and determination of fair and adequate compensation payable to plaintiffs."

“We are concerned as an NGO that anybody would take steps that would freeze the Newmont Ahafo North Project and subsequently impact all the economic and social benefits of the project to the many facets of the communities”, Mr. Gyabaah lamented.

He, however, stated that though they appreciate the delicate nature of the issues, “parties are encouraged to sit around the table for a fruitful conversation”.

While they appeal to those in court to reconsider their actions, Focus also “wants the central government, RCC, Municipal Assembly, Chiefs, and other NGOs to come in to ensure an amicable resolution to pave the way for further development.

Mr. Gyabaah “cautioned community members to be mindful, more vigilant and to decipher effectively on people who come to whitewash issues to them in their interest to the detriment of the greater good of the entire community”.