Kofi Badu receiving a copy of the petition
THE MANHYIA Palace has pledged to
consider petition of Odaho residents who face the prospect of gold mining
activities at their doorstep after issuance of a license to Heritage Imperial
Company, a small-scale mining firm, to conduct prospecting in a forest reserve.
The mining company has begun
preparation to prospect gold in the Apamprama forest reserve in the Amansie
South District of the Ashanti Region, with 36 acre-land tree plantation expected
to go waste, besides several hectares of cocoa farms to be destroyed.
Residents of Odaho, who live close
to the forest reserve, say their village will change dramatically for the worse
if mining activities are allowed to go on in the area.
On Monday, they petitioned the
Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, against the plan to undertake prospecting
operation in the forest reserve, accusing their chief, Nana Agyei Kumi II, of
conniving with the local assembly to destroy their habitat.
Speaking under an action group called Odaho Concerned Citizens the people said neither the district assembly nor the mining company had sought their views on an “impact assessment” which considered the effects the mining activities could have on the community, particularly on water bodies which served as sources of potable water for them.
Objection
Amos Tawiah, spokesperson for the
residents, in an interview, said they were best qualified to give a response as
to the likely consequences the mining of the forest would have on local life,
pointing out that the cultural character and the environment of the area could
not be protected if mining activities were allowed in the forest.
He, on behalf of the others, vowed
to resist any move to mine in the forest reserve, indicating that their lives
are dependent on the forest, and that it is their chief who is bent on
sacrificing the community’s interest for his personal gain.
Chief of Staff of Manhyia Palace,
Kofi Badu, who received the petition on behalf of the Asantehene, assured Odaho
residents of Otumfuo’s consideration to the petition.
He urged them to remain calm and
wait upon the overlord of Asanteman to work on the petition and the issues
which had been raised in thereof.
Meanwhile, Chief of Odaho is
reported to have dismissed the claims by the residents, insisting on his
innocence for the accusation of connivance with the Heritage Imperial Company
to rip off the forest.
So far, Heritage Imperial Company
has been granted a prospecting license in the Apamprama forest for a period of
three years, which will end in 2021.
From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi