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What would you opt for; Atewa for National Park or Atewa for bauxite?
The concern citizens of Atewa Landscape in a bids to protect the Atewa Forest can not fathom why the Minerals commission has given GIADEC permits to mine the Atewa Forest while the matter is at court.
According to them, such approach is insensitive and need immediate attention.
This was revealed in a press release from the concerned citizens signed by its president Hon. oteng Adjei.
The release is titled: “Insensitive GIADEC and Atewa. Forest”.
“We the Concerned Citizens of Atewa Landscape has learnt with disdain and utmost chagrin the announcement of GIADEC on Friday the 5th August, 2022 that it had finalized negotiations with its preferred strategic partner for the planned bauxite mining in the Atewa Forest (Project 3) and that the deal was going through the necessary approval processes.” – statement said.
“GIADEC is thus acting the TIN GOD by ignoring and rubbishing the fact that, the issue of bauxite mining in the Atewa enclave is a contentious issue pending before the courts”. – It added
A lot has been said and written about the immense benefits Atewa offers humanity in general and the country in particular. “But rather preposterously GIADEC for the satisfaction of its ego and or parochial interest is bent on destroying the treasured Atewa forest.”
Dr. Oteng – Yeboah, a retired Professor at the Dept. of Plant and Environmental Biology, University of Ghana once said ‘’some of these unpatriotic officers who have been employed to protect the state, receiving salaries from the state but work for themselves. Some even go to the extent of conniving and teaching foreigners on how to circumvent and cheat the system by exposing loopholes.”
“Probably the time is now more than opportune to let GIADEC know and come to its senses that, we the citizens of Ghana are not in support of the rather disastrous planned bauxite mining in the Atewa enclave”. – the statement maintained.
The release concluded with, “To cap it all, not even the voice of the Overlord of Akyem Abuakwa, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin demanding the preservation of Atewa sounds reasonable enough for GIADEC to leave Atewa forest out of its Integrated Aluminium Industry.The CCAL, therefore, fully supports the clarion call of Osagyefo to turn the Atewa Forest into a National Park and an Eco -tourist destination. In this regard CCAL will fully support any such move, and will partner any institution or association to resist to the hilt and with vehemence and within legitimate means any move to mine bauxite in the reserve. Civil society thus sends signals to GIADEC that it has crossed the red line and that the time is up for the spitting of ‘RED SALIVA’ as the Akans put it for it to see.”
However, the Ghana Integrated Aluminum Development Company, (GIADEC), has over a year now been sensitizing the citizenry on the effects of mining bauxite in the area and how the company will protect the forest, environment and thee general populace from ecological harm.
What next? Atewa for Bauxite or National Park?
