CONCERNS ON THE AFFECTED FARMERS AND THE SITUATION OF KATINKA COMMUNITY

THE REGIONAL MINISTER,

BRONG AHAFO REGION ASSEMBLY

SUNYANI-GHANA

16^TH JULY, 2013

CONCERNS ON THE AFFECTED FARMERS AND THE SITUATION OF KATINKA COMMUNITY

Most concerns have been raise which concerns the affected farmers and entire people of Kantinka so it has become necessary at this point in time to report to your office How unsafe Newmont Ghana’s is operation and the situation of most Communities especially Kantinka Community.

Newmont Ghana Gold shows no report and less or no concern about the safety of the communities it’s mining within Kantinka is a sub village under Kenyasi No. 2 Community. For about One (1) and half years now the started dumping waste (waste rocks) there, which has put the lives of the people in great danger.

Omanbotantim Association (a community base organization) received series of complains from the villagers which we saw it necessary to take action a public forum was held which gave most villagers opportunity to express themselves. This what we have gathered sofar.

It was reveal that, since the inception of Newmont Ghana Gold Limited the villagers has never had peace and freedom the live first about 10 mts away from the refuse dump so whenever the mining trucks is dumping the waste rocks they experience a lot of Noise especially during midnight .

It was also reveal that, whenever dumping is going on the villagers finds it very difficult to breath because there is a lot of dust in the atmosphere during and after dumping their waste which is very dangerous to their Health but the company cares not.

Most of the villagers beside the water dam whenever it rains, it becomes difficult for them to cross to the other side with for children to go to school or farms and other important places.

The dangerous aspect is that, not only do the villagers live close to the refuse dump but also close to the mining pit, and the company Newmont Ghana Gold Limited is most at times not certain on when blasting will be taking place which makes their stay unsafe at all.

Moreover, because the waste rocks has block the water, roots the leads to the dam, whenever it rains their house rooms and entire becomes flooder with water

Lastly, it the water system in the villager, there is only one bole-hole in the villager which is contaminated poisonous Substances like cyanide from the face of the waste rocks, sometimes most villagers are being invade by pythons and other reptiles from the water dam.

Therefore, Omanbotantim association would like to crave your mdulgence as father of the Region to use your highly respected officer to call Newmont to order by resetting the people of Kantinka.

I wish our concern will meet your earliest considered         

REPORT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE (S.D.C.) ACCOUNTABILITY

This whole process started when Kenyasi Graduate and student union and Omanbotantim Association started demanding Sustainable Development Committee to come and render account to the community to know the amount we have left in accounts and the project plan for. It was also as a result of project being undertook without the consent of the community like building of Roman Catholic School and the Durbar grounds.

Letters were circulated to Sustainable Development Committee inviting them for a meeting and they never responded and their reasons were that these bodies cannot invite them for any meeting. This continue for some time till we visited the paces and informed the chief of what was going and if care was not taken something serious was going to happened.

The chief therefore invited all the bodies involved and a meeting was scheduled. Sustainable Development Committee were asked to render accounts to the entire community and before that a letter was sent to Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation by Kenyasi Graduate and Student Union in collaboration with Omanbotantim demanding update of all our financial statement and Subsequently it was given. However, the information we wanted like the pre-job training aspect were not provides and we insisted and finally it was provided by Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation.

The accounts rending lasted for more than two month without Sustainable Development Committee able to furnish she community with every information needed. Concerning the pre-job where each applicant were given One Thousand Two hundred Ghana Cedis (GH¢1,200.00) and Eight Hundred Ghana Cedis (GH¢800.00) for fitting and thing for males and Hairdressing and seamstress for females respectively.

Within 6 months of the exercise, the pre-job alone had consumed Seventy Eight Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢78,000.00). Within the days of accounts some community citizens who already applied and was subsequently waiting for their support they have already received their support. Other too confirmed that instead of GH¢1,200.00 and GH¢800.00, they were been given 33.33% of the support. This GH¢400.00 and GH¢260.00 respectively.

All this were done by the youth chairman and Assemblyman representative, Oppong Bernard and Hon. Dallas Tawiah respectively. However, the Chairman who supposed to sign every document before it approval every even informed about introduction of pre-job Training not to talk of signing proposal against it.

Committee is to be set which has been long overdue to probe into this matter. However, the entire Sustainable Development Committee has been asked to withhold their activities for new-members whilst they are being investigated upon.

Presented by

Oman Kofi Adusei

Public Relation Officer of Omanbotantim Association  

             

Omanbotantim Association: Omanbotantim team undergoes social media training ...

Omanbotantim Association: Omanbotantim team undergoes social media training ...: Omanbotantim Association now wants to effectively engage external stakeholders  with applications of socia media. It is part of this effort...

PRESS RELEASE

It has become necessary and urgent at this point in time to draw the attention of Ghanaians, especially the youth in mining communities and more specifically Kenyasi, Ahafo in the Brong Ahafo Region of Ghana and its environs affected by Newmont Ghana Gold Ltd (NGGL).

We all understand the fact that there would never been mining operations without any negative effects on the communities. However, the burden and the kind of problems this communities is facing is peculiar, appalling, neck-breaking and in fact competing with human life of which responsible agencies and bodies whose mouths hold water never mind .

It’s sad, very terrifying and   appalling that the company (NGGL) is making business at the expense of putting peoples’ lives in danger, bad health Conditions, absolute poverty and unemployment etc.  It is always the youth and young generations that suffers most.

As part of our regular activities, we visited a small farming communities, Dormaa Kantinka and Yaro-Gruma in the Asutifi North District, Kenyasi in Brong Ahafo Region.  Residents are living in fear and panic due to the mining operations of NGGL.  Ongoing activities of NGGL is just 50 meters away from the community and had affected all water bodies serving as a drinking source of water as a result of seeping of residual chemicals from the dumped blast rocks of Newmont’s operations.   Residents struggle for a normal respiration due to a severe air pollution emitted dust and poisonous gasses into the atmosphere which result to Health challenges such as hyper-respiration, diarrhea, asthma and convulsion among children.  Speaking to some of the residents,  homes are always flooded during a heavy down pour  since all water bodies from site streams down into the community compelling them to move out of their rooms even in the sleeping hours until the floods recedes with a server outbreak of malaria and strange skin rashes among the residents especially children.

The most heart breaking aspect is that, after a heavy rainfall, school children are forced to quit classes due to the ‘inaccessibility of road’ linking to the community whilst NGGL never failed in picking up her workers to and from work. How heartbreaking it is? How weak and wicked Ghanaians opinion leaders are? What is District Assembly, Ghana Education Service (G.E.S) doing having been exposed to this danger for over 5 years? Do the wards have future? What are the civil society organizations doing to salvage this situation? These questions and many others would be ringing and raining in any minded person mind. The wards in this particular vicinity are really part of Ghanaians and how can’t they enjoy the FREE and COMPULSORY BASIC EDUCATION enshrined in our supreme constitution. Even in the normal bussing days, the wards in these respective communities are never take part in the school’s compulsory extra-classes both in the morning and evening section. What is so disturbing is that some students who have been complaining for some years now and relentlessly missing most school days and periods which had led to low academic performance had stop schooling and many more are treating to stop. These wards school was situated very closed to them and there were no side effect like bussing and others and the business of Newmont Ghana Gold Ltd displaced the school and now the wards are facing serious challenges and it’s never the company’s concern and even responsible bodies and agencies’ who allowed the company’s to resettle the school are not concerned. Some wards who are ‘serious’ foot for a road of an average distance of 8 kilometers. Why? Why?? Why??? 

The future of these children is being trample upon and they have been denied the right to quality education as well. Do we all want to raise armed robbers, and other social misfit citizens?

The above organization wants to draw the attention of governmental Agencies Media houses, concerned groups, NGO’s, Associations as well as the entire world to come to the aid of these communities from the Brutality in the hands of this unconcern business corporation, NGGL.   

Thank you.

Signed

 Frank Kofi Adusei

(Public Relations Officer)

REPORT ON PROPOSED TEACHER TRAINING COLLEGE

The idea of establishment Teacher Training College came into been at one of collaborative meeting between Omanbotantim Association-Kenyasi and Kenyasi Graduate and Students Union (KEGSU).

This two stakeholders were lamenting of how Sustainable Development Committee (SDC), Kenyasi No. 2 works without dully followed the primary processes and procedures available for Sustainable Development Committee (SDC), Kenyasi No. 2.

It was very clear that SDC built Roman Catholic Junior High School, Kenyasi No. 2 and Durbar Grounds without prior consent of the community as enshrined in the rules of the basic principles and guidelines of which computer and library complex had been proposed for the year.

Omanbotantim Association and KEGSU eventually came to concessions after long hours of deliberation and brainstorming that SDC be invited to a meeting copied Traditional Council, Assembly Member, Ahafo Movement for Development (AMoD), and Newmont Ahafo Development Foundation (NADeF) and immediately, an embargo letter was sent to place on the SDC proposed Computer and Library Complex.

After the meeting which was attended by SDC members, Assembly Members representatives, AMoD Executive Secretary and others with Omanbotantim Association and Kenyasi Graduates Students Union(KEGSU) and NADeF Project co-ordinator, it was clear that every stakeholder present were with the view that KEGSU and Omanbotantim proposed Teacher Training College is the most pressing needs and considered ultimate to the SDC’s proposed Computer and Library Complex.

However, Kenyasi No. II Traditional Council and SDC later still wanted the Computer and Library Complex be built or established, instead, despite the initial agreement of the various stakeholders.  KEGSU and Omanbotantim stood on their feet and kept on pressing by means of relentless public forums, lobbying and making sure that the embargo is never removed.

Eventually, Traditional Council and SDC come into concessions with the establishment of the Teachers Training College.

A committee was set and a proposal had been sent to minister of Education after SDC’s, NADeF and District Assembly’s approval through Brong Ahafo Regional Minister.

KEGSU, Omanbotantim Association and the entire community is very proud of this initiative and waiting anxiously for the minister’s approval.    However, the paramount chief of Kenyasi No. 2, Odeneho Nana Nsiah Ababio had released vast hand for the establishment of the Teachers Training College.

Omanbotantim and KEGSU is never relent it effort in ensuring accountability, development of the Community issues of compensation, employment, environmental pollution by the mining company, judiciously uses of resources by the Traditional Council, District Assembly and others.

These bodies could have done more work, but however handicapped with resources (financially, logically and others).

We are however, appealing to well-to-do individuals, organization with similar passion(s) to support us in any way to relentlessly serve the dear people of these communities.

Prepared by:

FRAN KOFI ADUSEI

(CHAIRMAN-OMANBOTANTIM)

Omanbotantim team undergoes social media training for effective advocacy

Omanbotantim Association now wants to effectively engage external stakeholders  with applications of socia media. It is part of this efforts that the team have decided to take part in ongoing social media training being organised for the members of Ahafo NGOs Network(ANGONET) by the Global Alliance for Development Foundation(GADeF).

We hope after this training, we will be able to use the social media effectively to aid our advocacy course.