Security at mines: No general deployment of military – Minister
By Isaac AIDOO, Accra
The security of mining concessions in Ghana will be handled on a case by case basis, away from the general deployment of the military, Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor has disclosed.
Mr Jinapor said that the matter of security at the mines had been raised with the ministers for National Security and Defence, as well as with the National Security Council and that “the attitude of government on this matter is that instead of a general deployment of the military, we should take a case by case approach.”
The minister was speaking at a breakfast meeting organised by the Ghana Chamber of Mines in Accra.
“if there are specific concessions that for special reasons require some special deployment, we have to make the special case for that for a decision to be made,” Mr Jinapor stated.
Assuring mining companies of government’s commitment to providing adequate security for their concessions, the minister announced that government was considering a security concern raised by Cardinal Namdini Gold Mine about their proximity to Burkina Faso and the security situation in that country.
“Whatever we need to do to ensure that your concessions are safe, we will do it because it is when your concessions are safe that you can work in peace to support government,” the minister assured.
The Ghana Chamber of Mines has lamented invasions and attacks on defenseless workers which it says has created “a sense of debilitating insecurity.”
“When a mine is unsecured, it does not only threaten continuous production but the livelihood of the ecosystem that depends on the mine: communities, government, suppliers, employees, and shareholders,” he said.
According to the Chamber, the seeming inability of duty bearers to decisively quell the wanton breach of security at one mine serves as an incentive for other miscreants to perpetrate similar brazen disregard for the rule of law.
“This inertia partly fuels the deteriorating security climate at the mines with adverse consequences for all stakeholders. These hikes in security breaches impair the quality of mine assets in Ghana and raise the insurance premia, cost of credit, and replacement cost of equipment,” Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber said in a recent forum.
