
The Ada Songor Lagoon Association (ASLA) has expressed disappointment at the comment by Samuel Atta Akyea, Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy symbolizing the committee’s findings.
This was conveyed in a recent statement released to the media.
Without a shred of doubts, the Ada Songor Lagoon Association (ASLA), Dangbe East Salt Producers of Association, DESPA, the Libi Wornor, the Terkperbiawe Clan Stool Father, Nomo Tetteh Ableedu, the Asafoatse-ngua, Glorgo Dadebom Anim V of Terkperbiawe Clan, Terkperbiawe Queen mother, Naana Korlekie Korley I, Chiefs, Elders, and youths of all communities around the Songor Lagoon Basin strongly disagree with the committee.
They further believe that Atta Akyea and the committee made up of members of the ruling NPP, and some myopic members of the minority in parliament with self-seeking for personal aggrandizement who lack the tenets of probity, transparency, accountability, and rule of law, have done a pre- meditated work laced with intent to create instability within Ada.
This, it explained, is due to the abject disregard for the numerous issues of human rights abuses masterminded by McDan’s ElectroChem taskforce, the Military, Interior Ministry, and police service, which were reported to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) yet neither a letter of receipt nor measures to mitigate the sad happenings had been initiated.
The group’s statement comes at the back of comments made by the Chairman which it considers as prejudicial.
The group noted that comments such as Samuel Atta Akyea upon the Committee’s visit to the ElectroChem Ghana Limited rather than the site where a member of the community was shot, made statements such as.
Meanwhile, ElectroChem Ghana Limited has denied any involvement in the shooting incident that occurred at Toflokpo in Ada West District of the Greater Accra Region which resulted in the death of one person leaving many others injured, ElectroChem is a subsidiary of McLean Group of companies with a concession spanning 41,000 acres at Ada Songor.
The company which was granted fifteen years mining lease to explore salt resource in Ada…, For now, I am amazed that here is another undertaking that if given our full support would even rival what we are getting from gold and diamond.
We might not even go to IMF seeking a bailout if we pay attention to natural resources salt, what amazes me is that so far, we haven’t even done 40% of capacity of setup and US$88 million has already been spent.
So we should extrapolate it is likely that on completion, the project will cost over US$250million, Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Mines and Energy assured management of ElectroChem Ghana Limited of the government’s full support and warned alleged saboteurs, I am using this opportunity to sign a note of caution to those who believe that the economic conditions of the people of Ada should not improve when you have a committed investor seeking to improve the livelihoods of the people” were in bad taste therefore calling for his head.
“It is so sad that the Atta Akyea led Committee fragrantly and deliberately ignored PNDC Law 287 which specifically deals with Songor Lagoon, and stating unequivocally clearly that, “The Songor Lagoon and the lands are being held in trust for the owners”.
It must be on record that the government at no time acquire the Songor Lagoon and its adjoining lands compulsorily, but rather holding in trust for the rightful owners; the Terkperbiawe Clan”, it clarified.
Also, the group emphasized further that since the legitimate owners of the land are also involved in sea salt farming in addition to their seasonal crop and animal production just to offer a sustainable livelihood, it will be sensible for the regime to factor in the indigenous people.
The Parliamentary Select Committee, which is supposed to be a hub of record, deliberately decided to shelf the most important law whose preamble prescribes the Master Plan for Salt Development in Ghana, and rather skewly engaged the following laws in isolation;
- the 1992 Constitution,
2.the Standing Orders of Parliament,
3.the Minerals and Mining Act,2006(Act 703),
4.the Environmental Protection Act,1994 (Act 490),
- Water Resources Commission Act,1996(Act 522),
- Minerals Income Investment Fund Act,2018(Act 978,
- Minerals and Mining (Health, Safety and Technical) Regulations,2012(L.I.2182)
- Minerals and Mining General Regulations (2012), L.I.2173 8. Environmental Assessment Regulations,1999(L.I. 1652 and
- the Supreme Court Ruling on the Republic versus High Court, Accra: Ex Parte Attorney General (Exton Cubic Group Ltd, Interested Party (2019) unreported Civil Motion Number JS/40/2018″.
The group sees that singular action as corroborating human rights abuses, and that will not be good for Ghana.
BACKGROUND
It is on record that, the Ada Traditional Council and the Ada Paramount Chief signed a memorandum of understanding with ElectroChem Ghana Limited owned by Daniel McCauley agreeing to grant a portion of the Songor Lagoon Basin called the “Songor Salt Project Area” alone.
Substantiating the earlier MoU, a memo from the president’s office dated 19 August 2020 also indicated that the Songor Salt Project was the area given on concession to ElectroChem Ghana Limited.
The Songor Salt Project is Area Number 5 on the Master Plan for Salt Development in Ghana and is different from the Songor Lagoon proper.
Another memo from SIGA dated 8 February 2021 also indicated clearly that it is the Songor Salt Project which was given on concession to ElectroChem.
In September 2020, one of the ASLA members chanced upon a notice posted at Ada West District Assembly notifying the public about some mining leases granted to ElectroChem Ghana Limited.
It is sad to note that the Akufo Addo-led government has no respect for the people living in that part of the country.
Over 42 towns and settlements around the Songor Lagoon Basin had been informed that the whole of the Songor Lagoon Basin comprising Torwu Lagoon, Troku Lagoon, and their adjoining lands measuring over 41,000 acres(158.4sq.km) were going to be leased by the Akufo Addo NPP government to ElectroChem Ghana Limited owned by Daniel McCauley for sea salt farming leaving the fate of over 90,000 people whose livelihood depend on the Lagoon in a limbo.
This is the behaviour of a person who claimed to be a human rights advocate!
The truth is that for more than 400 years, ancestors of Ada have settled around Songor Lagoon farming and winning sea salt, farming crops, and fishing, and knowing no other place apart from their settlement.
It must be on record that solar sea salt is not a precious mineral therefore not mined like gold and diamond from the belly of the earth.
It is rather farmed and harvested on the surface of the earth anywhere there is land, seawater, and sunshine under the right climatic conditions.
In Ada, the indigenes are self-employed; as they engage in solar sea salt farming, crop farming, and fishing.
It is clear that the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Ghana has subscribed to, is not well understood by Akufo Addo and his cronies in government.
Can the people living on the land of Akufo Addo’s homeland and whose livelihoods solely depend on the land be driven out or prevented from making a livelihood on the land?
The wicked idea of making sea salt production a monopoly by one person, will not hold today, tomorrow, and forever.
All well-meaning persons should note that the socio-economic, and political ramifications to the nation will be dire should the move be allowed to go through, and that can have a devastating effect on the world’s peace and stability.