Prestea: Some youth at Prestea have organised a walk in solidarity with Heath Goldfields amid calls for the Government to revoke its Prestea-Bogoso mining lease.
According to Ghana News Agency, the event, dubbed 'Heath Must Stay Solidarity Walk,' saw the youth marching through principal streets of Prestea to oppose demands by some groups to revoke Heath Goldfields' mining lease. The youth argued that the call to revoke the lease was premature, emphasizing that the company had provided job opportunities by ceding part of its concession for responsible small-scale cooperative community mining.
Mr Mahama Arthur, Acting Chairman for Four Bungalows Black Waste Committee at Prestea, highlighted during the walk that their action was to support the Ghanaian company for creating opportunities for the youth to engage in artisanal small-scale mining activities. He stated, "We believe that Heath Goldfields being a Ghanaian-owned company must be supported by its indigenous people instead of revoking their lease and giving it to a Chinese company." He further noted that the company had demonstrated its ability to support the government's cooperative mining scheme as a means to reduce illegal mining activities in the area.
Mr Francis Kwesi Blay, a former Member of Parliament for Prestea-Huni Valley, also expressed his support for Heath Goldfields to continue its mining operations in the Prestea-Bogoso area. He stated, "It is too early for us to agitate that they should leave, and as a Ghanaian mining company they will help boost the local economy because whatever money they get will remain in the country." He pointed out that the company's decision to cede part of its concession to the youth proved their willingness to partner with locals for shared growth.
Nana Kwabena Tenkorang, Chief of Prestea Nsuoakyi, urged the government to ignore calls to revoke Heath Goldfields' mining lease, asserting that the company was a major driver of development in the region. He said, "They are the only company who have come in to cede part of their concession to the community for our youth to have something meaningful to do with their lives, and even awarded haulage and mining to local contractors, so they must stay."