By Mabinty M. Kamara
Civil Society groups across mining communities in Sierra Leone have converged in Freetown to reflect on the implementation of the Community Development Agreement (CDA) fund for affected mining communities.
The Community Development Agreement is a legally binding agreement as provided for in the 2009 Mines and Minerals Act No. 12 that every large scale mining company should subscribe to, in its relationship with its primary host communities.
According to the Act, 01% of every large scale mining company’s annual turnover (before tax deduction) shall go to their affected communities to facilitate developmental projects.
This is to ensure peaceful co-existence between the mining companies and the communities in which they operate.
Speaking at the event on Monday 12th July 2020, Edrian Trinity-Davies, Project Officer of the Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) said the project is funded by Oxfam and that it focuses on promoting accountability and transparency in resource mobilization, redistribution and management of the extractive sector.
She added that the purpose of the engagement was to bring the Community Development Committees (CDCs), the administrative bodies constituted to facilitate the implementation of the CDA funds to account on how they have been using the funds, the challenges encountered, and their achievements in ensuring community beneficiation.
In his statement, the Community Affairs and Sustainable Development Manager of the National Minerals Agency Henry Kamara said the government has several issues to address and was therefore necessary that CSOs come onboard to complement the efforts of the government.
While applauding the NMJD for their role in ensuring extractive justice, he said their role as an agency among others is to promote transparency and accountability.
Kamara in his presentation noted that about 30 billion Leones have been paid by the four large scale mining companies operating in the country between the period of 2018 and 2020.
“In 2018 close to 10 billion Leone was paid and then in 2019, slightly above 10 billion Leones and in 2020, also above 10 billion Leone. So by approximation, it is very close to 30 billion Leone contributed by the four mining companies that have been implementing in the communities,” he said.
He added: “The four mining companies that are contributing to the CDA are the Sierra Rutile, which contributes 100,000 dollars annually from sale turn over, the second one is a bauxite mining company which is the Sierra Minerals holding limited which contributes 1% of their annual turn over every year and if you look at their contribution within this three years, it is 600,000 dollars and then the other company is the Koidu limited in Kono for the past three years, they have been contributing 0.25% every year approximately 200,000 dollars and then the fourth company is the Sierra Diamond in Tongo which pledged to be contributing 100,000 dollars until they start productions.”
He stated that CDA fund is neither part of the company's corporate social responsibility to the communities nor a surface rent paid to the land owners.
In his statement, Abu Brima, the Executive Director of the Network Movement for Justice and Development said that before the enactment of the 2009 Mines and Minerals Act, mining communities benefited from little or no developmental projects, noting that the existing laws were not strong.
He added that the CDAs were established to ensure that the communities get what is due them. He said that those monies paid by the companies are owned by the communities and not meant for individual gains.
Representatives from the different mining communities of Kono, Rutile, Bonthe, Moyamba, and Bo districts presented reports of how the fund is being expended in their communities as well as the challenges faced.
Copyright © Politico Online (16/07/21)
