Mining firm appeals for government intervention over galamsey invasion
The Managing Director of Mining and Construction Services Limited (MCS), a licensed small-scale mining firm in Obuasi, Andy Augustus A. Amoah, has appealed to the government for urgent intervention following the invasion of the company’s concession by illegal miners.
According to him, the illegal miners stormed the firm’s concession in the Obuasi West Municipality, drove away its workers undertaking exploration activities, and warned them never to return.
Mr Amoah explained that despite showing his operating licence issued in 2020 by the Minerals Commission and other relevant agencies, the miners ignored the documents and took over the concession.
Speaking to journalists during a media engagement and tour of the company’s offices in Obuasi, Mr Amoah said the concession, covering 248.21 acres, was part of an area surrendered to the government by Anglogold Ashanti (AGA) and later granted to MCS. The areas under the concession include Nyankyerem, Akatakyieso, Amamon and Adaase.
He stressed that immediate government intervention was necessary to allow the company to access its concession and proceed with construction activities. “All the preparatory works have been done, awaiting the actual construction of the processing plant and other relevant facilities,” he said.
Mr Amoah revealed that the company has secured a $168 million investment to produce 100,000 ounces of gold annually over the 13-year life span of the mine. He added that as part of MCS’s corporate social responsibility, “we have resolved to channel $2 of every ounce of gold into a trust fund for the development of the communities within our operational areas.”
Meanwhile, at a general meeting of the Obuasi West Municipal Assembly, some members raised concerns about the invasion of MCS’s concession.
In response, the Municipal Chief Executive, Faustilove Appiah Kannin, said the matter had not been formally brought to her attention. She urged the assembly members who raised the issue to engage her office further for deliberations and possible solutions.