News
Don’t grant mining permit to Shanzi Mining Company – Gbane Mining Groups
Small-scale Mining Groups at the Gbane Community in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region have appealed to the Minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Mining and Inspectorate Division not to grant permit to Shanxi Mining Company Limited (SMCL) to go into large-scale mining in the area.
The Shanxi Mining Company Limited which was providing mining support service to Yenyaya Mining Group and Pubortaaba Mining Group are seeking permit to go into large-scale mining in the area where the small-scale miners are operating.
The small-scale mining groups, which include the Unique Mining Group and the Nalamtaaba Mining Group, made the call when a consultant engaged them about the interest expressed by the Shanxi Mining Company Limited to go into large-scale mining in the area.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nalamtaaba Mining Group, Mr Polo Boyark, who made the call on behalf of the small-scale mining groups on Saturday, after the engagement with the consultant, stated that until proper consultation and proper agreement were reached between the Shanxi Mining Company Limited and the small-scale mining groups, the mining regulatory bodies should not grant permit to SMCL to mine on their concessions.
According to the small-scale mining groups they had all acquired the necessary mining permits and therefore would not succumb to any powers that would want to circumvent the laws to allow the Shanxi Mining Company Limited to mine on their concessions without the proper engagement and agreement.
“We will not sit down and allow a foreign mining company to threaten our very livelihoods which we have been depending on for very long years. Unless the proper thing is done, by bringing all of us the small-scale mining groups to sit down and dialogue with the Shanxi Mining Company Limited.”
The group, who threatened that they would resist any attempt if their demand and interest were not met, called on the mining regulatory bodies to ensure that their request were followed before the consideration of granting the Shanxi Mining Company Limited to go into large scale mining.
The Shanxi Mining Company Limited entered into partnership with the Yenyaya Mining Group and Pubortaaba Mining Group who had legally acquired their concessions to provide mining support service to the two small-scale mining groups.
The Chief Executive Officer of Yenyaya Mining Group, Mr Charles Nadanbon was selected among small-scale mining groups by the government in 2008 to go to China and learn on sustainable mining activitiesthat persuaded and brought the Chinese Mining Company to Ghana, specifically the Gbane community.
The company has been providing mining support services to these small-scale mining groups until recently when the company expressed interest to go into large-scale mining, hence the consultant engaging the small-scale mining groups at Gbane.
Source: Ghanaian Times
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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