By Abass Jalloh
The Natural Resource Governance and Economic Justice Network in Sierra Leone (NaRGEJ-SL) has in a press statement expressed dissatisfaction that after more than three years of broad consultations on the review of the Mines and Minerals Act 2009, civil society is deeply disappointed that the new mining law falls far short of expectations.
The statement was presented yesterday 15 September during a press conference at the headquarters of the Sierra Leone Association of Journalists in Freetown.
The organization claims that despite the “huge amount” of time and resources invested in the consultations, most of the key recommendations or proposals of the citizens and civil society organizations were not included in the reviewed law.
The statement says the organization “acknowledges the broad consultations initially held across the country on the review of the Mines and Minerals Act 2009, which provided citizens, especially mining affected communities, the rare opportunity to participate in the policy process and to clearly state their position on issues affecting their livelihoods, rights and sustainable development of the country.”
A call was made for the government to reconsider the proposals with an amendment to the new law.
The statement expressed concern at various aspects including citizens’ inputs into the review process, and how the voices of the CSOs got ignored.
The president as a flag bearer in 2018 promised to review the act to realign it with mining policy and consistent with international best practices, according to NaRGEJ.
It was highlighted that in the Act, the amount of money mining companies’ pay annually to the Community Development Fund (CDF) is one percent of their gross annual earnings.
“Citizens and CSOs proposed that at least 2.5 percent be paid into the CDF by companies annually instead of 0.001%,” the statement reported.
Comprehensively, the organization stated that instead of 2.5 percent as proposed by CSOs, the reviewed law makes provision for 1 percent only.
The statement was also recommended that a minimum amount be included in the reviewed law on what companies should pay to land owners as surface rent, adding that CSOs proposed a minimum of between 70 and 150 dollars per acre annually.
It was also stated that CSOs proposed that the money mining companies’ pay as surface rent should all go directly to the land owners.
According to the NaRGEJ statement, the minimum threshold which CSOs recommended was out rightly ignored and was left open as it were in the old act, and that companies will continue to use this openness.
Some of the recommendations put forward by NaRGEJ were that a transition period should be given for a transit into the new law recommending from six to 12 months based on strict criteria, and for the National Mineral Agency bill be enacted to be in line with the Mines and Minerals Development Act of 2022. It was also stated that urgent attention be paid in creating harmony for effective collaboration and coordination between the ministry and the agency.
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