New Abirem (E/R), June 7, GNA - The Newmont Akyem Project Area in the Eastern Region, has organized a four-day educational excursion for 51 representatives of nine communities in the project area to three mining sites in the Western Region.

The representatives, including traditional rulers, assembly members, chief farmers, youths, teachers and opinion leaders were from Afosu, New Abirem, Mamanso, Old Abirem, Yaayaaso, Adausena, Hweakwae, Ntronang, and Yaw Tano.

The group visited Tarkwa Goldfields, Iduapriem Gold Mines and Bogoso Gold Limited mining sites.

Briefing newsmen at New Abirem after the trip on Monday, the Community Relations Superintendent of the Newmont Akyem Project, Mr Appiah Kusi Obodum, said the trip was a clear manifestation of a company that was "committed to dialogue through honest collaboration for the well-being of its stakeholders."

He explained that the trip was to enable the people in the concession area to get a "feel of what surface mining is all about in order to allay their fears and apprehensions through interactions with their counterparts in other mining communities." Mr Obodum said among the sites the delegation visited included pits, plants, resettlements, backfilled and reclaimed sites and staff quarters where they were briefed by chiefs and mine workers on questions ranging from safety of the environment, loss of land, employment, resettlement and crop compensation.

He said the group was advised by the Bogosohene to use dialogue rather than violent confrontations to raise their concerns, since communities that chose dialogue benefited in the long run.

Mr Benard Amoah, one of the community representatives, giving his impression on the trip, described it as beneficial as it afforded them the opportunity to understand issues affecting mining areas. He appealed to the company to employ some of the farmers who would lose their farmlands for the mining operations to relieve them of their stress.