The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti regional communications team led by Paul Kwabena Yandoh director in charge of the party’s communication and his team were on Friday 2nd February snubbed by the top management of AngloGold Ashanti Obuasi mine when the party’s communicators stormed the mines administrative office at Obuasi on “Fact finding mission ” as they describe it.
The mission of the over fifteen communicators branded in NPP T-shirt was to question management of the giant corporate mining company over their silence on a campaign promise former President John Dramani Mahama made at The Fomena Palace of the Adansihene Opagyakotwere -Bonsrah Afriyie II during his stakeholders engagement tour to the Adansi districts last week.
What Mahama said at Fomena
Addressing the Adansi traditional leaders, the former President denied President Nana Akufo Addo’s accusations of hindering AngloGold Ashanti’s operations during his administration.
Highlighting his support for initiatives like the Obuasi Deeps Decline, initiated to enhance operations at the gold mine. The former President disclosed “ In 2014 management of AngloGold Ashanti reached out to the government of Ghana with a request to restructure the operstions of the mine. At the time gold prices had fallen to an all time low and the cost of production too was rising there was therefore the need to invest in mechanized mining for greater efficiency. So the Management of the mine presented an Amended Program fo Mining Operation (APMO) in Obuasi to me for government ‘s consideration ’’ he said.
The former president further explained he didn’t hesitate but immediately directed the minister responsible for lands and Natural resources to as a matter of urgency to work with AGA to enable them achieve thier goals According to President Mahama by the time he was leaving office in 2017 the development of the the Decline (ODD) had reached 60 per cent of completion. He explained that as a result of the program which enabled AGA to embark on a footprint reduction and put the company under care and maintainance the company laid off the workforce they didn’t need at the time through a reduncy program.
Mr. Mahama assured the traditional leaders that if elected he will ensure that all agreements will be fully implemented to create more jobs for communities in Adansi and Obuasi in particular.
“ Mr Mahama said he was happy to see the Obuasi City Campus of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology which his government started in partnership with Anglogold now running and promised enhancement for the school should he win this year’s election. He was however not happy that an industrial hub at New Baakoyeden a suburb of Obuasi which was to tap the various artisanal skills that was exiting the mine to create alternative employment modules for the people and help diversify the economy of OBUASI from its over reliance on mining fortunes has been abondoned by the Akufo Addo government and promised to put it to work once he comes back to government . He told the gathering that the Akufo Addo pgovernment only came to continue from where we left and commissioned it later in 2019. Saying the ( ODD) Obuasi Deeps Decline commissioned by President Nana Akufo Addo was started during my time so it’s not true that Anglogold Ashanti collapsed under our administration.
Ashanti NPP’s Communications Directorate Concern
According to the Ashanti regional Communications team who stormed the mine’s administrative office they were not happy with the management of Anglogold Ashanti for sitting unconcerned about what the former President John Dramani Mahama came to say before the Adansihene .
The Communications team believes the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential candidates statement has been received by the Adansi Community which can affect the electoral fortunes of the ruling New patriotic Party (NPP) in the Adansi areas.
The NPP’s communications director Paul Kwabena Yandoh urged the management of the giant mining firm to issue a statement to discredit the statement the former President made suggesting the mines were not in full operation over lack of the government commitment to support their operations.
“ We are in an election year and don’t allow John Mahama to be making these statements. You have to do something about what he said because it is affecting us. Don’t you have PR directorate we are the ruling government you cannot allow this statement to go like that’’ he bemoaned
However, the management team that met the NPP’s communications team stood on their grounds and insisted “The mine is in full operation and all our staff are working. AngloGold Ashanti is a corporate institution and cannot participate in ‘ ‘party politics’ communication”.
The officials reiterated all the core statements Mr. Mahama made before the Adansi traditional council and declined to give a political response to other questions from other members of the communications team.
