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Sunyani Garages protest to demand compensation from Newmont and government for their land use

The group has called on the government and Newmont to fulfil their obligations by paying the overdue compensation

The Sunyani Garages Cooperative, located in the Bono Region, has staged a peaceful demonstration demanding compensation from Newmont and the government.

The cooperative, alongside local farmers whose lands were impacted by the diversion of the N6, an 8.5-kilometre stretch of the Sunyani-Kumasi road between Afrisipakrom and Terchire, claims they have lost 23 acres of land.

Despite numerous efforts, their calls for compensation have yet to be answered.

Peter Aboagye Antwi is the chairman of the Sunyani Garages Corporation said, “We’ve lost 23 acres of land that we’ve paid for. We were about to pay for over 200 acres of land and we managed to pay for 23. We have secured the land through the traditional leaders of Duayaw Nkwanta.”

“We started developing the land, but in 2021, we were told that the road diversion affected the land. We were due for compensation, but since 2021, our cry has been in vain, Antwi said”.

He noted that they have engaged with various stakeholders numerous times, but their efforts have been in vain. Antwi emphasised that this demonstration marks the fifth time the cooperative has protested for their compensation.

To avoid further unrest among their members, he urgently called on the government and Newmont to fulfil their obligations by paying the overdue compensation.

“This is not the first time we’ve been here; this is the fifth time we’ve had this protest, but all yielded results. We have had a series of engagements but we’ve not seen any developments concerning our compensation.

Now, in order not to incur the rage of our members, we entreat the government and Newmont to do everything possible and do the necessary things before things get out of hand, said Antwi”.

Additionally, several affected farmers, including Akosua Bayaa, Comfort Osei Tutu, and Rockson Asante, shared their grievances, detailing the hardships they have endured as a result of losing their farmlands.

“Akosua said, “I’m an 80-90 old woman, and my farmland has been taken over by Newmont for three years now without any compensation.”

Comfort Osei Tutu, a farmer, also said, “I have lost my farmland to the construction of the road without any compensation. At first, we used to come to the farm for food, but now we go to Sunyani to buy food, which is affecting us.”

Efforts to get the management of Newmont to respond yielded no results.

Members and executives of the Sunyani Garages Cooperative, along with approximately 450 farmers from Afrisipakrom, gathered at a section of the diverted road leading to Newmont’s operational area.

In a show of protest, they blocked the road with stones and immobilised a bus by removing its tyres, effectively preventing Newmont from using the road.

Reporting by Daniel Donkor in the Bono Region

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