Gov’t ready to cede portion of AGA’s concession to small-scale miners

Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Nii Osah Mills has said government is committed to handing over the portion of AngloGold Ashanti’s mine concession that will be ceded soon to government. 

“As part of the solution to calm tension in Obuasi and create employment, government will allow small-scale miners to take over part of the mine that will be ceded from AngloGold Ashanti.

“Under the minerals and mining act, where a lease is granted to a company, that mining company has a choice to decide at a point to give part of the land that forms the leased area back to government. 

“It is a process, and the process is far advanced and will soon come to a close; and once that portion is finalised it means that others can work on those portions AngloGold Ashanti will give away.” 

B&FT has gathered that AngloGold Ashanti is planning to cede over two-thirds of its Obuasi Mine to government.

This comes after some miners clashed with staff of AngloGold Ashanti, which led to the death of the company’s Communications Manager, Mr. John Owusu.

Chief Executive Officer of AngloGold Ashanti, Srinivasan Venkatakrishnan, in an earlier media conference said Anglogold will soon cede part of it mine concession to government.

“Importantly long-term sustainability requires mining companies to co-exist with their communities, and we are continuing to provide essential services to the community. We are in the process of relinquishing about two-thirds of a large concession area that we currently have back to government, which is the only entity we can relinquish to. Government will then have to redistribute to the small-scale miners, which will then provide a permanent solution to the problems. 

“Government has opened up and told the illegal miners, ‘Come register and let’s licence your operations and we will give you the mine’. But recently we have had some intrusions in the northern part of the mine, but predominantly most of the work we have done is in the southern part of the mine.”

He however urged government to flush out illegal miners currently occupying the Obuasi concession, as it impacts negatively on the country as an investment destination.