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Ada Manklalo reiterates plans to enroll local salt miners

Nene Agudey Obitchere III, Manklalo of Ada, has reiterated that the Ada Traditional Council has an arrangement with Electrochem Ghana Limited (EGL) to enroll local salt miners on a scheme to give them access to modernised salt mining.

Date Created : 8/12/2024 12:00:00 AM : Story Author : Opesika Tetteh Puplampu/Ghanadistricts.com

Nene Obichere, however, stated that due to political interference and brainwashing of the local salt miners, the implementation of the scheme was becoming stale.

He explained that after the construction of community pans by EGL, indigenes expressed concerns about access.

In response, he said the company expressed its intent to allocate another concession to them with the provision of free brine for their salt production and the company offering a ready market to purchase their salt.

“I remember that we went to the communities to engage the indigenes, but we were hooted at with beatings of gallons, and so we couldn’t continue with the plans as traditional authorities,” he explained.

He said in an interview that the traditional authorities planned to get a portion allocated to the local miners, which was their reason for going to the communities to ask for calm, but it, however, did not end well due to what the indigenes were told by political figures.

Touched on a recent parliamentary joint committee’s report, which recommended that a portion of the concession should be given to the indigenes to mine under the regulation of Electrochem, he said it was in line with the joint plans of the traditional council and the EGL.

"We, as traditional authorities, have been vindicated by parliament, and we are patiently waiting for parliament to finalize everything; then we will take it from there. Despite everything, remember, we all want the progress of Ada and the people, and so we would not drive away development; yet, we would not allow politics to set the community ablaze,” he said.

Nene Obitchere revealed that the indigenes sought assistance from the Council following the defacement of the Ada Songor Lagoon, adding that the traditional leaders in response approached the president for help, leading to the intervention of Electrochem.

“What made the lagoon fertile was the dike of clay, which served as a seat for salt formation orcrystallization; yet, the indigenes dug out the seat, and the lagoon became muddy with silt. Some even ended up digging wells in the bed of the lagoon, making it lose its natural look and importance,” he disclosed.

He appealed to the people to support the project as it was intended to fast-track the development of Ada.

Electrochem Ghana Limited, a subsidiary of the McDan Group of Companies, acquired three different mining licenses for 41,000 acres of land in the Ada Songor Lagoon for 15 years, renewable by law.