By Mohamed T. Massaquoi
The iron ore miner, China Kingho Investments, Sierra Leone Ltd. says it expects to spend Le 1.8 billion annually to execute its Community Development Action Plan in the Kpaka and Galliness Perri chiefdoms in Pujehun district, for an initial period of five years, under its Corporate Social Responsibility portfolio.
This disclosure was made by an Environmental Impact Assessment consultant with the Environmental Protection Agency, Brima Kamara at a disclosure meeting held in the two chiefdoms where the company will operate.
He said the company had gone through an Environmental Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) and Environmental Social Management Plan (ESMP) and that the disclosure of the Community Development and Resettlement Action Plans would earn it a five-year mining license expiring in 2019.
Kamara, who is a lecturer at Njala University, told the land owners that the exploration stage had been completed and "any other activity on the land will now be the mining proper".
He said the disclosure was intended "to cement the relationship between the land owners and the company" and that two villages would be relocated including the section headquarter town of Gendema known as Funyehun and Korwuma.
The administrative officer of the National Minerals Agency, Edward Pessima told the gathering that his organisation's responsibility was to ensure landowners derived maximum benefit from the operations of foreign mining companies in the country. He said that principle would be applied in Pujehun district.
"Our approach is going to be win-win for both the locals and the investors in the mining industry and for our agency to gain international recognition," Pessima said, adding that the EPA had a good relationship with the company with whom "we are all working according to international standards".
He warned the landowners to "make a wise agreement with the company for the sake of posterity and avoid individual benefit".
For his part, the Environmental Officer of EPA, Ishmail Jalloh said his agency could only "issue license to a mining company that complies with our principles", adding that China Kingho had been working accordingly.
He told the meeting that proper monitoring mechanisms would be set up so that the company could meet its Corporate Social Responsibility and protect the environment.
The town chief of one of the villages to be relocated, Brima Lukulay said he doubted whether the company "will meet their Corporate Social Responsibility because during the exploration period fabulous promises were made about constructing water wells and the maintenance of our roads but all proved futile." He said "most of our plantations were destroyed by the activities of the company without compensation.
The Paramount Chief of Galliness Perri chiefdom, Alhaji Issa Baimba Kamara told the gathering that there was a gap in communication between Chinese workers of Kingho and local authorities and land owners.
The chief said he was sometimes embarrassed by his subjects with questions about the operations of the company, adding that he only came to know that the exploration stage was over at that disclosure meeting.
The MP for Constituency 89 which covers the area affected by the company's operation, Dickson Momoh Rogers, assured his people of his total commitment to monitor the company's operation so that they would meet their Corporate Social Responsibility.
He told the company that the people who will be relocated should not be given cash compensations but should build other homes for them.
The National Consultant of Kingho, Patrick Ansu Kaikai assured landowners that the company would do its best to have a good community relationship, adding that their Corporate Social Responsibilities would be met.
(C) Politico 11/06/14
