Communities to be directly affected by lithium mining in the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region are demanding an increase in their community development levy from 1 to at least 3 percent.
They also want the government to scrap the idea of directing the proceeds into the consolidated fund.
They rather propose that there should be a separate account to be managed by a committee of the chiefs and the company.
In an exclusive interview with JoyNews, the Chief of Krofu, Nana Kwansa II revealed that since this is not the first time Ghana is going into a mining agreement, it is important that it seeks better conditions for Ghana and the communities affected.
He explained that since royalty is 10 percent – a departure from the 5 percent in the law, it makes sense that the community development levy meant for the affected communities be increased from the current one percent.
“If they’re drafting an agreement, they should do it well because, for the 1 percent, I haven’t heard an increment in it. Why haven’t they increased it when that is coming to us? If they can increase the 5 percent to 10, then they can equally increase our 1 percent too because the populations of the communities are growing in size.
“When I came here to school, this was a very small village but today look at how it has grown. Every community grows, so if the share for the communities is 1 percent, then the government should have thought about us when it was planning. At least if they take it to 4 or 3% that will be fine,” he explained.
The Chief of Ewoyaa, another affected community, Nana Mbronu Edu IX agrees.
“As for me, I think if the government can agree with them on the current conditions for them to start the mining operations, it will be good. But for our 1%, we plead with the government to increase it,” he stated.
He is against the payment of the community development levy into the consolidated fund.
He argues that if that is done, it will delay the progress of the communities since accessing it will mean they need to go through so many bureaucratic processes.
“The consolidated fund that they want to put that 1 percent into, we, Nananom disagree. We want that to be put into our fund to be managed by us and the company for easy access to the revenues. This will help us implement our development plans easily. If we get 5 percent, we will like it.
“So the government should look at it. We’re proposing 5, but if they get us 4 or 3 percent, we’ll appreciate it,” Nana Mbronu Edu IX explained.
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