Mineral Resources Authority Managing Director Larry Garry highlighted three key mining policies at the recent community Affairs and Media Workshop this week, touching on preparing communities for life after mining.
The Voluntary Resettlement Policy, the Mining project Rehabilitation and Closure Policy and the Sustainable Mining Policy were introduced in 2016 and approved to support the revised Mining Act.
“For the Mining and resettlement policy, we have learned the hardest way. When we issue a tenement or license, section 41 of policy gives exclusive occupation rights to the tenement holder. We have found out that places where relocation and resettlement exercises failed, this cost us very dearly,” he said.
Mr Garry said trespassers have been found to be moving back and forth at will and there have been a very high number of deaths involved in such areas, he added that there have also been a high number of illegal activities happening within these areas.
“For those working in voluntary resettlement, we would like to work towards ensuring that resettlement will become a part of the proposal for development and ensure a military exercise to relocate them outside the tenement.
“That will be a government and developer partnership arrangement. It is the responsibility of the State to provide the land for resettlement because the state gives the license for the developers to operate and therefore it is incumbent on the State to find suitable land for relocation.”
He said this is a more feasible option then letting people go and find land for themselves, or relocating people and break up communities and families.
“Relocation and resettlement must be done holistically, so we keep those values as we exercise relocation and resettlement.”
Mr Garry said mine rehabilitation and closure is something close to our heart.
He said: “The objective of the Mine Rehabilitation and Closure Policy comes at the final cycle of the mine after construction and operation phase and typically, the objective to rehabilitate the land in an environmentally responsible way but at the same time, to restore the land to an acceptable alternative.”
Mr Garry added that one of the more overlooked areas that we have to look into is to ensure that we develop sustainable socio-economic beyond mine investments, so that the livelihood of the people do not degrade and this will be covered under the Mining Project Rehabilitation and Closure Policy.
“We must make sure that in simplicity, if we have to replace the ore body with 20,000 cocoa trees, then let’s do it. If we have to replace the pit with 200,000 coffee trees, let’s do it. It is as simple as that.
“Let us create something that meaningfully suitable for the livelihood of the people after the closure of the mind.”