Mining of Bauxite In Nyinahini Forest In Limbo As Group Fight Government

A group known as the Asante Kotoko Society has threatened a series of demonstrations against the government over plans to mine bauxite in the Nyinahin forest.

They are asking the government to put in appropriate measures to ensure the development of the towns and residents of the mining area.

Speaking on Okay FM’s ‘Ade Akye Abia’ program, Secretary to the society, Nana Oti Awere explained that the government has not presented to them any policy or paper document on an alternative livelihood plan for residents of the affected mining area.

All that they are interested in is the bauxite which will adversely affect the life and living conditions of the people in the area.

“We have petitioned the government to reconvene with the Chiefs and people of Nyinahini and reunite a policy that will positively benefit the people of the mining community else government should forget about mining in the Nyinahini forest,” he added.

Research shows that bauxite mining at Nyinahin could last for over 150 to 300 years.

In June 2017, the government had announced that an integrated aluminum industry would be established in Ghana, particularly in the Nyinahini enclave, by mining and refining its bauxite deposits.

Ghana’s bauxite deposits in the refined form are expected to generate an export value of over $350 billion.

Following this, Parliament passed into law the Ghana Bauxite Integrated Aluminum Industry Act, 2018, which would be the legal framework to take the opportunity of the vast bauxite resource available to help in the economic development of the country.

 One of such action to close the infrastructure deficit is the Sinohydro bauxite – infrastructure barter between Ghana and China worth US$ 2 billion to mine bauxite at Nyinahin.

This is as part of an earlier memorandum between Ghana and China where Ghana is only going to leverage 5% of our country’s bauxite resources to the Chinese who are giving us $15 billion over a period.

The Vice-President of Ghana, on his visit to China, to sign the memorandum of agreement of which China will provide funding to the infrastructure project to exploit our bauxite reserve, stated the total bauxite they want to leverage is the 960 million metric tonnes.