Ghana Gets Another Large-Scale Mining Firm

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has commissioned the resettlement project, spearheaded, by Cardinal Namdini Mining Limited.

The modernized resettlement communities named New Biung and New Accra, located in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region were commissioned last Friday, August 5, 2022.

The move comes at a time the company is getting ready to mine in the area. The project is in line with Minerals and Mining (Compensation and Resettlement) Regulations L. I.2175.

Mr.Jinapor, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Damango in the Savannah region, was accompanied by his Deputy Minister in-charge of Mining, George MirekuDuker, who is also MP for Tarkwa-Nsuaem, in the Western Region.

In his address, the Minister said he was pleased with Cardinal’s precedence in local participation and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects, and entreated it to intensify, both local content and local participation in the operations at Talensi.

MrJinapor assured the people of Talensi, that the government through the Ministry will ensure that the catchment area and region, as a whole, benefit enormously from the activities of Cardinal Namdini.

Included in the resettlement project, are basic social amenities, such as, a healthcare facility, two schools with accommodation for teachers, three places of worship, electricity to all residential, and public buildings, as well as, street-lighting, potable water; and gravelled roads connecting buildings.

According to him, the resettlement project is in conformity with the Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) approved by the District Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA) and the Minerals Commission; and also conforms to the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) Performance Standards on Social and Environmental Sustainability (PSSES).

He, therefore, appealed to residents to manage the facilities judiciously in order to reap the full benefits.

He also appealed to the Chiefs and people of the Communities to collaborate effectively with the firm to guarantee the sustainability of their operations, and hopes that the show of unity and cooperation exhibited in the resettlement process will be extended to the firm in their operations.

“Let me plead with all beneficiaries of these new communities, to take very good care of the facilities, maintain and manage them, responsibly, so that your children and grandchildren will also benefit from them.

The processes leading to the construction of these new communities have been seamless, due to the cooperation of all stakeholders, including the chiefs and elders of Biung and Accra and the entire Talensi Traditional Area. I want to commend them, highly, for their cooperation and support which have brought us this far”, he stated.

Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor maintained that the relationship between the firm and communities must be strengthened to ensure a mutually beneficial and successful operation in the area and, therefore, urged the firm to undertake developmental projects in the area and make the growth of the area a key part of its operations.

The Lands Minister reaffirmed government’s commitment to undertaking reforms in the mining “sector that will increase avenues for Ghanaian participation in the mining space; adding that, government intends to make Ghana a mining hub by establishing refineries and also ensuring efficient utilization of revenue from the mining sector.

“Government is also committed to ensuring that Ghanaians benefit from our natural resources, through policies, such as, value addition, local content and local participation.

In the next few weeks, we will commission the first state-owned gold refinery, established through a public private partnership, to add value to our gold resources,” he said.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Cardinal Namdini, Luis Santana, in a brief remark, highlighted some of Cardinal’s projects that are also public and CSR-based.

He listed some as the employment of services of a local NGO, Widows and Orphans Movement to implement Vulnerable Assistance programme, which will support Vulnerable Households during the resettlement to attain self- sufficiency and the construction of a 25km public road from Balungu to the mine at a cost 7million USD.

He said the economic empowerment of the community members is at the heart of the company’s operations, and stressed that it is the strategic objective of the company to empower residents and activate projects and policies aimed at developing the socio-economic architecture of the communities.

He disclosed that the company is working with an NGO called “Widow and Orphans Movement” to provide relevant support to the residents as they transition through the resettlement phase.

The representative of the overload of the Talensi traditional area, Tongraan and the Chiefs of both New Buing and New Accra expressed their appreciation to government for the support so far, in ensuring the beautiful edifice resettlement structures.

Tongraan also requested for same, in subsequent projects in relation to Cardinal Namdini works.

Cardinal Resources is one of the two mining companies in the Northern part of Ghana. It is emerging that the future of Sustainable Gold Mining in the country appears to be in the north.

Source: Anchorghana