Participants from Ahanta West District in the Western Region attending a workshop in Accra on Ghana's oil production, have called on government to come out with a clear policy on the acquisition and usage of lands in the area.
They claimed that government had given portions of the Ahanta lands to the Ghana Rubber Estate Limited (GREL), mining companies for surface mining and oil companies for infrastructural development.
The participants made the call on Monday at Tema in the Greater Accra Region during the opening of a two-day capacity development workshop for communities likely to be affected by the oil production in the Western Region.
The workshop organised by the Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM), was attended by 57 participants drawn from Ahanta West, Ellembele, Jomoro, Nzema East, and Shama Districts all in the Western Region.
Mr Joseph Daniel Dadson, a spokesperson for the participants, said apart from creating tension, which could lead to clashes in the area, the situation could also deprive the farming communities of their livelihood.
According to him, the leasing of their lands to the rubber, mining and oil companies, had prevented the people from expanding their communities, thus leading to people constructing their houses in swampy areas of the district.
Mr Dadson said it was unfortunate that instead of politicians helping the poor in the society, they were rather buying their (poor) properties for their personal interests.
Corroborating the allegation, Nana Arele Anyu II, Acting Chief of Chavene in the Ahanta West District, said portions of their lands have been given to Newmont Gold Ghana Limited and other mining companies to do prospecting for licensing.
She alleged that government gave out the lands without consulting the people of the area.
This Nana Anyu II said would affect the livelihood of the people and therefore, pleaded with government to listen to their plea and address the issue.
Mr Daniel Owusu Koranteng, Executive Director of WACAM said given Ghana's experiences in the mining sector, the workshop was organised to build the capacities of the communities that were likely to be affected due to the oil find.
He said it was also to sensitize then on the expected environmental, social, economic and civil rights challenges.
Last but not the least, Mr Koranteng said, the workshop aims at forming a network of communities that would be affected by the oil find.
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