GOLDEN STAR ASSISTS MORE COMMUNITIES IN WR (PAGE 21)

GOLDEN Star (Bogoso/Prestea) Limited, a gold mining company operating at Prestea/Bogoso in the Prestea-Huni Valley District in the Western Region, has spent a total of $4,347,907 within the last eight years to provide social amenities for towns and villages in its catchment areas, as part of its community development agenda.
The community support programme covered areas such as education and sports, health, sanitation, provision of clean water and improvement of the communities’ infrastructure.
The projects include the construction of a library at Bogoso, a day care centre at Mbease-Nsuta, fencing of the Bogoso Sports Stadium, school projects at Juaben and the Prestea Senior High/Technical School, a weighing centre at Anfegya and aqua privy facilities at Kwame Niampah and Bolakyir.
The company has also completed two water projects for the Dumase and Himan/Ankobrah communities, as well as hand-dug wells fitted with hand pumps for the people of Mbease-Nsuta and Kumsono, road rehabilitation and construction of community centres in the stakeholder communities.
The General Manager of Golden Star (Bogoso/Prestea) Limited (GSBPL), Mr Nigel Tamlyn, made this known when members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Environment, Science and Technology visited the mine to acquaint themselves with the operations of the company, how they were affecting the environment, as well as the people in the company’s catchment area.
Members of the committee, chaired by Mr Kwame Owusu Frimpong, toured the mine and held a meeting with the chiefs, district assembly members, opinion leaders, as well as area council chairmen of the stakeholder communities, to share ideas on the operations of the mining company in the area.
Mr Tamlyn emphasised that the company had social responsibility to the stakeholder communities, adding that it had put policies and procedures in place to ensure that community relations were an integral part of its operations.
The Vice-President of the company, Mr Daniel Owiredu, stated that the mother company invested $90 million between 2003 and 2005 to restart the Golden Star (Wassa Mine) and constructed a new plant to process sulphide ore at a cost of $250 million.
He, however, stated that the new plant was experiencing operational difficulties.
Asked why the company was performing better in its Wassa Mine than the Bogoso/Prestea Mine as far as environmental issues were concerned, Mr Owiredu conceded that the situation had changed.
The Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Environment, Science and Technology, Mr Owusu Frimpong, said the committee was impressed with what was happening at the mine, saying that the communities had attested to it.
“We are happy about what we have seen and we hope we will see more in future,” he stressed.
Mr Frimpong stated that the committee had to ensure good environmental practices throughout the country, stressing that no mining company could run away from its social responsibilities.
The Vice-Chairman of the committee, Mr Joseph Yarni Labik, urged the communities to continue the good relationship with the company.
“You are the community leaders; try to iron out all differences that may arise. I am happy that you have established this good relationship,” he emphasised.
Mr Labik made it clear that the committee would conduct thorough investigations on every petition or letter it would receive about the operations of the mine, before acting on it or discussing it on the floor of the House to avoid embarrassing the chiefs and people in the area.
A member of the committee, Mr J.B. Danquah, advised the communities not to see the mining company as the central government in the provision of development projects.
He also urged them to prioritise their needs to enable the company to assist them gradually.
The Divisional Chief of Mbease-Nsuta, Nana Adu Payin II, said the stool had released 5,006 acres of land to the mining company for the development of an oil palm plantation for people in the area.
He appealed to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to grant Golden Star (Bogoso/Prestea) a mining permit to start its Bogoso South Mining Project to help create more jobs and to limit illegal mining in the area.
The chief of Adaamanso, Nana Gyankwaw II, suggested that the mining companies should sign a social responsibility agreement with the traditional rulers and people before mining the gold.
The chief of Prestea-Nakaba, Nana Blakwofie, noted with concern that there was no doctor at the Prestea Government Hospital due to lack of accommodation.
He, therefore, appealed to the mining company to rehabilitate two bungalows in Prestea to accommodate doctors.