Over three hundred mine workers from the Bogoso Mine recently stormed the premises of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to protest. The workers are demanding that the Minister terminates the mining lease granted to Future Global Resources, the current managers of the mine.
According to the workers, Future Global Resources has shown a lack of capacity to effectively manage the mine for the past three years, resulting in all of them being laid off. The General Secretary of the Ghana Mine Workers Union of TUC, Abdul Moomin Gbana, emphasized this point during a news conference in Accra.
“The truth of the matter is that duty bearers must recognize that Future Global Resources does not have the financial resources to manage the mines, so the Minister must terminate their contract,” Gbana stated.
The picketing, originally scheduled for April 15-18, was postponed to April 25 after a meeting with the Accra Regional Police Command indicated a lack of available personnel to support the demonstration. The Union expressed concerns over the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources’ delay in taking action to revoke the mining lease of Future Global Resources Bogoso-Prestea mine.
The Union’s call for action comes in the wake of the Attorney-General & Minister of Justice confirming the Mineral’s Commission’s recommendation to revoke the mining lease. The Union finds it surprising that the Ministry is dragging its feet on the matter despite the recommendations made.
