Chiefs Back Gold Fields Tarkwa Lease Extension

Nana Nvida, Chief of Huniso

Chiefs and residents of communities hosting the Tarkwa Mine of Gold Fields Ghana Limited in the Western Region have thrown their support behind the company’s application for an extension of its mining lease, citing its significant contributions to local development and livelihoods.

The debate over the proposed 20-year extension of the Tarkwa Mine’s lease has generated considerable public discussion.

However, residents of the mine’s host communities insist that the lease should be renewed, arguing that the cessation of mining operations would pose a serious threat to local economic activity, employment and infrastructure development.

According to them, the mining company has undertaken numerous community development and infrastructure projects since commencing operations in the area, while creating both direct and indirect employment opportunities for thousands of residents and contractors.

“We have witnessed the direct and indirect employment of thousands of local workers and contractors, which has gone a long way to improve the living standards of people in our communities and beyond,” they stated.

The residents appealed to the government to renew Gold Fields’ Tarkwa mining lease before its expiry in April 2027.

At a joint press conference held at Huniso last Friday, the chiefs and residents unanimously endorsed the lease extension.

Speaking on behalf of the chiefs, Nana Nvida, Chief of Huniso, justified the call for the renewal, pointing to the company’s investments in critical infrastructure, including roads, schools and health facilities.

He noted that the Huniso main road, which had long been in a deplorable condition despite three previous rehabilitation attempts, is currently being reconstructed by Gold Fields.

Nana Nvida also cited the construction of an ultra-modern sports stadium in Tarkwa, major health facilities within the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, scholarship schemes, potable water projects and support for local agribusiness and livelihood programmes.

“We are pleading with President John Dramani Mahama and the government to listen to us and renew the lease, even up to 30 years. We are close to the company and are better placed to testify to what the Tarkwa Mine has done for our communities,” he said.

The chief, however, urged the company to create more employment opportunities for young people to strengthen peaceful relations with host communities.

The Queenmother of Huniso, Obaahema Yaa Damoah, echoed the Chief’s sentiments and appealed to Vice-President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang to support efforts to secure the lease renewal.

The Assembly Member for the Huniso-Pepesa Electoral Area, Egya Philip, argued that many of the development projects in the host communities had been undertaken by Gold Fields rather than the Municipal Assembly.

“Almost all the projects you find in the host communities were carried out by Gold Fields. If such a company has not breached any mining law in the country, why should it be denied a lease extension?” he asked.

Similarly, the School Management Committee Chairman for Brahabobome, Albert Benuye, said his community had benefited immensely from the company’s operations.

“We did not have a single school in Brahabobome until Gold Fields came and built classroom blocks, a teachers’ bungalow, an ICT laboratory and a community centre,” he said.

He added that the company had also awarded scholarships to schoolchildren and supported community development initiatives.

“Gold Fields has not breached any law. Let us allow them to continue their business. Government can renegotiate the terms if necessary, but it should not reject the company’s request for a lease extension,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation has rejected claims that it has failed to undertake meaningful corporate social responsibility projects in Tarkwa and its surrounding communities.

The Foundation maintained that its investments in roads, education, healthcare, livelihoods and social infrastructure have transformed lives across the mining enclave.

According to the Foundation, it has invested more than $110 million in development projects over the years and believes critics are overlooking visible evidence and the testimonies of beneficiaries.

“It has come to us as quite a surprise that there are comments in the media suggesting that Gold Fields has done nothing in Tarkwa. That is not factual,” the Foundation’s Executive Secretary, Abdel Razak Yakubu, stated.

He stressed that the company’s impact should not be assessed solely on physical infrastructure but also on the livelihoods, economic opportunities and social interventions it has created within host communities.

From Emmanuel Opoku, Tarkwa