The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, has expressed his utter dissatisfaction with a donation of US$4,000,000 presented by the Ghana Chamber of Mines to the Appiate Support Fund, established to, among others, support the victims of the Appiate explosion incident and reconstruct the community.
The Chamber made the presentation at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, on Wednesday, February 23, 2022.
Presenting the donation, President of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Mr. Eric Asubonteng, said the Chamber was very concerned about the incident, and have therefore pulled their resources together, culminating in the US$4,000,000 they were presenting.
He revealed that the main contributors to the donation are Anglogold Ashanti Ltd, Chirano Gold Mines Ltd, Goldfields Ghana Ltd, and Newmont Ghana Ltd.
He said the Chamber has a total membership of over seventy companies and expressed his hope that the other members will contribute to the Fund.
Mr. Asubonteng also thanked the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, for his leadership and the constructive and decisive manner in which he handled the Appiate explosion incident.
“It has been handled in such a way that the industry has been held together. Because it could have meant anything, and if it had gotten out of hand, it wouldn’t have been to the benefit of any stakeholder,” Mr. Assubonteng said.
Receiving the donation, the Minister thanked the Chamber, and particularly the four main contributors.
He, however, expressed his disappointment and dissatisfaction with the amount donated by the Chamber.
He said given the membership of the Chamber, the industry they are engaged in, and their portfolio, the donation made was very insignificant, having regard to the destruction caused.
He said the extractive industry must do more to carry the people with them, and must, therefore, show leadership and a greater responsibility in such unfortunate and tragic incidents.
Mr. Jinapor said, having visited the people of Appiate on several occasions after the tragic incident, he is aware of the general feeling of the people.
“Most of them feel they were sitting in their homes, doing their little farming, only for some mining they do not benefit from to cause an explosion that has devastated their lives and made them miserable”, Mr. Jinapor said.
The Minister said, it is not out of place for the Chamber to take up the entire cost of the reconstruction of the community, and if he had his way, he would have compelled the Chamber to do so.
He said he was excited that the Chamber named the companies that contributed, and looked forward to the other companies to do same.
He encouraged the Chamber to publish the names of the companies and the amounts they are contributing for transparency and accountability.
Mr. Jinapor pledged the Ministry’s continuous support to the Chamber and urged the Chamber to work hand in hand with Government as partners.
