Indigenous people and residents of Old Wassa Akosombo of Wassa east district in the western region has vow to return to resettle in their community due to failure of management of Wassa Golden Star Mining Limited to fulfil a mutual agreement between the indigenous people and residents.
According to the aggrieved residents, in the year 2006, when the then Westford Mining handed over the mines to Wassa Golden Star Mining to take-over mining operations, the indigenous people who are mainly farmers were engaged by the management of Wassa Golden Star Mining to resettle them to a different location that would enable the mining company to carry out its operational activities without any obstacles which the indigenous people of Old Wassa Akosombo agreed to that.
According to the indigenous people and residents, they had grown their cocoa trees and other food crops that they solely depend on for their livelihood and earn income out of the farm produces to cater for their families but per the agreement done according to the aggrieved farmers there was an agreement from the management of Wassa Golden Star Mining Limited that they will provide means of transport to convey the farmers to visit their farms and back but nothing of that sort has been seen since the resettlement was done .
The farmers further claimed that the management of the mining company also assured the indigenous people of Old Wassa Akosombo of providing them portable good drinking water for them but that has also not been done.
The farmers are claiming they can no longer continue to stay in the new resettlement provided by the mining company whiles their cocoa farms and food crops are destroyed due to the fact that they cannot visit their farms to take proper care of their farm produces whiles Wassa Golden Star Mining Limited continuously operate to gain.
The farmers have therefore vow to go back to their Old Wassa Akosombo community to resettle to take proper care of their farm produces especially their cocoa farms which used to give them income for their livelihood.
This paper made several efforts to get the management of Wassa Golden Star Mining Limited at Wassa Akyempim to get their reaction to the concerns raised by the Old Wassa Akosombo indigenous people but we were denied entry because management has not given prior notice of our coming.