The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Constituency Organiser for Abirem, Frank Owusu Amoah, has sought to clarify circumstances surrounding the protest that briefly disrupted the launch of the government’s Cooperative Mining Scheme in the Birim North District of the Eastern Region.
According to him, many people have misinterpreted videos of the incident that have been circulating on social media.
Speaking on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem, Mr Owusu Amoah said neither the youth nor party supporters opposed the government’s mining initiative.
“I have seen the video, but a lot of people are misinterpreting what happened. We support what President John Dramani Mahama and the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, are doing. The youth are in support of the programme because it is intended to help us,” he said.
He explained that the government’s goal is not to stop mining activities but to ensure they are carried out responsibly.
“When President Mahama came into office and saw the challenges in the mining sector, he did not seek to stop mining. Rather, he wants us to mine responsibly without destroying the environment,” he stated.
Mr Owusu Amoah said this informed the introduction of the Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme, which seeks to support unemployed youth interested in mining while promoting environmentally sustainable practices.
“Government wants to take interested youth through the necessary processes and training so they can mine responsibly, protect water bodies and reclaim degraded lands,” he explained.
According to him, the confusion arose during the registration and community engagement phase of the programme.
He alleged that officials delegated to conduct community sensitisation and registration failed to adequately involve all stakeholders.
“The problem started when people were sent to conduct community engagement and register interested participants. They were expected to work through the District Chief Executive, Hon. Hakeem Antwi Abdul, to ensure proper announcements were made,” he said.
Mr Owusu Amoah claimed that information about the registration exercise did not reach many party members and community residents.
“Our concern was that many people, including party supporters, were not informed about the registration. Some people who were close to local authorities were registered while others were left out,” he alleged.
He further claimed that a similar situation occurred when participants were selected for training under the programme.
“When the trainers arrived, the training was held at the District Assembly Hall. The organisers from Accra assumed everyone who needed to participate had been invited, but many people who were interested were unaware of it,” he said.
According to him, the aggrieved youth decided to raise their concerns directly with the Minister before the official launch.
“We informed the Minister that many people had been excluded from the process. When we stopped his convoy, he got down from his vehicle and listened to our concerns,” he recounted.
Mr Owusu Amoah commended the Minister for engaging with the protesters and assuring them that the concerns would be addressed.
“The Minister listened to us and admitted that if people had genuinely been excluded, then that was not fair. He assured us that nobody would be left out and that those who missed the earlier stages would be given the opportunity to participate,” he said.
He added that the Minister promised that additional registration would be conducted to ensure broader participation.
“He assured us that the townspeople and party members who were excluded would be registered so that everyone could benefit from the programme,” he stated.
Mr Owusu Amoah said the youth eventually commended the Minister for his response and willingness to engage them.
“We even applauded him because he showed that he is a grassroots person who has the interest of the party and the people at heart,” he added.
His comments follow an incident on Monday, June 8, when some angry youth, believed to be NDC supporters in the Birim North District, attempted to block Mr Armah-Kofi Buah and his entourage from launching the Cooperative Mining Scheme.
The protesters, dressed in black attire with red armbands, accused local party leaders and stakeholders of sidelining them in the planning and implementation of the initiative.
The situation was eventually brought under control through the intervention of police officers and senior party officials.
The Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme is being implemented by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources as part of efforts to formalise small-scale mining, promote responsible mining practices and create sustainable employment opportunities in mining communities.
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