By:Gregory Pilkington Amoah
5/9/2024
Parliament has been debating on the report of the joint committees on Lands and Natural Resources as well as Mines and Energy on a referral made to it seeking to address the concerns raised by Member of Parliament of Sege on some clashes between Electrochem Ghana Limited and indegenes of Ada Songhor on the 42 acre mining lease granted to the former by government.
Majority Chief Whip Frank Annoh Dompreh in making debate courted support from the indigenous people of Ada to support Electrochem Ghana Limited to drive development in the area.
He believes this will create jobs and help expand the frontiers of growth in the Songhor enclave.
However Member of Parliament for Odododiodoo Nii Lante Vanderpuye called for broader engagements which will encapsulate the protect the interests of the indigenous people of Ada Songhor.
According to him, the investment interests of Electrochem must encapsulate the rights, aspirations and sustainability of indigenes hence Parliament must ensure that the rights of the people of Ada are not trampled upon.
Meanwhile Speaker of Parliament Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin has charged the joint committees of Lands and Natural Resources and Mines and Energy to continue deliberations in a bid to bring a lasting solution to the impasse between Electrochem Ghana Limited and the aggrieved indigenes of the Ada Songhor enclave.
According to him, while the need to drive commercial investment in the area is important, such investment must be pursued vis a vis the interests of the indigenous people hence broader engagements must forge on to ensure that a peaceful finality is achieved and the interests of the people secured.
These developments from
Parliament follows years of agitation in the Ada Songhor enclave which claimed lives amd maimed others as the clash between scores of indigenous people and private firm Electrochem Ghana Limited concerning the grant of a 42 acre lease over the Somghor salt mining acreage forges on.