Public Agenda (Accra)
Selorm Amevor
8 September 2008
Accra — The Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has recommended to government to set up an independent committee to undertake a cost-benefit analysis of the mining industry to the national economy.
The Committee if established should specifically investigate the impact of mining on the environment and health with a view of establishing whether in reality the mining industry in its current state is beneficial to the nation.
"This should guide the nation to position the mining industry well for the industry to make a more realistic contribution to national development," they said.
This is contained in the CHRAJ's State of Human Rights in Mining Communities in Ghana report which was launched by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mr. Joe Ghartey in Accra.
The 200-page report was the outcome of investigations by the Commission's staff in over 42 communities in five regions namely Ashanti, Eastern, Western, Brong Ahafo and Upper East regions,where major mining activities take place.
Currently many stakeholders hold different views about the contribution of the industry to the national economy. Whereas Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) like the Third World Network (TWN), WACAM and FIAN are of the view that mining has contributed insignificantly to the national economy, the Chamber of Mines and its members argue that the industry over the years has contributed significantly to the national economy; and to drum home their message the theme for their 80th anniversary celebration was Life Without Mining is Impossible.
In his remarks, the Deputy Commissioner of CHRAJ, Mr. Richard Quayson said the Commission decided to undertake the investigations following increasing reports of violations of the rights of people living in mining communities.
Aside the issues of human right violations,other areas investigated included water and water sources ,environment degradation -dust pollution, blasting , health , safety and security , livelihoods and employment, resettlement and compensation , illegal mining ,royalties and development projects.
He indicated that the purpose of the investigations was to provide an accurate reflection of the broad trends of human rights situation in mining communities, ascertain the underlying reasons for the increasing report of human rights violations in mining areas, determine the nature of violations and look at the complex problems around relationships between companies and communities.
The investigations also examined the intra-communal problems with the view to restoring cordial relations between and among competing interest groups in mining areas , promote respect for human rights in mining areas and make recommendations to curtail human rights violations in the communities.
The Deputy Commissioner said that the investigations were not an attempt to find faults with any party, but a genuine effort to enlist the support of all the stakeholders and give them the opportunity to address the issues in a co-operative manner.
He indicated that although some mining companies are genuinely making efforts to provide social amenities in some of the communities, these pale into insignificance compared to the entrenched deprivations and hardships communities are exposed to daily.
"Even to the casual observer, there is no doubt that our mining communities are neglected, underdeveloped and impoverished," he added.
Mr. Quayson said that at the last Universal Periodic Review of Ghana's human rights situation by the UN Human Rights Council the question of human rights concerns in mining communities came up strongly and the nation reported that his outfit was working with all stakeholders to find lasting solutions to the problem and made a firm commitment to the Council to implement the outcome of the investigations.
According to him since then, the government through the Attorney -General's Department has supported the investigations to its present stage and therefore urged the government to take the difficult but necessary decisions on the report to ensure that critical concerns which require government interventions are promptly and decisively addressed.
Launching the book, the Attorney-General, Mr. Joe Ghartey said the event was an important part of a process in ensuring that all parties both communities and companies live in harmony.
He indicated that currently the Law Reform Commission is reviewing the current Minerals and Mining law to ensure that it takes into consideration the numerous challenges facing the industry.
The Attorney-General encouraged CSOs to continue to collaborate with government and other agencies to ensure the improvement of the national economy.
The Head of Environment at the Third World Network (TWN), Mr. Abdulai Daramani in an interview commended the Commission for the detailed report and said the report affirms the position of CSOs over the years.
He indicated that all stakeholders should work towards ensuring the implementation of the report especially those that have to do with the violations of human rights.
Mr. Daramani urged the government to show the political commitment and provide the necessary resources for the various institutions that need to implement the report.
In addition, he said it is time for the justice system in the country to be more conscious towards human right issues.
The Public Affairs Manager of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mr. Ahmed Nantogmah in his view said the initiative although laudable focused more on the allegations by the communities than the responses of the companies.
He stated that many of the responses forwarded to the mining companies were unfortunately not included in the final draft.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2008 Public Agenda. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
