In 2004, local farmers in western Ghana didn’t exactly welcome an incoming gold mine with open arms, but they didn’t resist when Canadian company Kinross Mining offered them financial compensation in exchange for building the mine on their lands. But three years later, the farmers learned they had been swindled. By then, the underground and open-pit Chirano Gold Mine was devastating their farmlands.
The Bibiani-Ahnwiaso-Bekwai district in the western region of Ghana is home to over 100,000 people, lush deciduous forest, and the Ankobra River. Over half of people in the area work as farmers. However, mining is the most lucrative local industry, as the soil is rich in gold and bauxite, an aluminum ore.
After a community conference where the farmers learned they had been under-compensated, they formed The Concern Citizens Association of Sefwi (COCAS) to demand adequate compensation and to protect the rights of individuals and communities affected by the Chirano Gold Mine.
Working with local chiefs, the District Assembly, local and national media, and government agencies, the group tried to demand the company pay farmers what they were rightfully owed. They were met with silence. Finally, the group took the case to court, but struggled to find the funding necessary to pay the legal fees.
With $4,000 from Global Greengrants, COCAS paid for a year of court expenses. This time, the group succeeded.
The farmers won the case in 2015. All of the 1,124 farmers who had been undercompensated were awarded what they were owed plus 15 percent interest–totaling almost twice the compensation the company had originally provided.
The grant awarded by Global Greengrants helped COCAS win adequate compensation for each and every farmer. This small amount of funding made a big difference in the lives of the farmers whose livelihoods were severely impacted by the mine, demonstrating that the right amount of money at the right time can go a long way in the hands of local people.
Photo Credit: Jonathan Hubschman