By Nasratu Kargbo
The National Coordinator for National Advocacy Coalition on Extractives (NACE) Cecilia Mattia has said that in the new Mines and Minerals Development Act, they want to ensure members of parliament, district councils, and paramount chiefs stop receiving surface rent.
Speaking on the 7th June 2022 at the final nationwide dissemination and sensitization of the SLEITI 2019 report, Mattia stated that the bill proposes that 70% goes to the landowners and 30% to the chiefdom administration. She noted that they want all the monies to go to the community.
The national coordinator noted that MPs have been a little reluctant in accepting that side of the bill.
Mattia boldly said: “If they don’t agree to pass that part of the bill, when they come for elections we will vote them out like they voted out our monies”. She explained that as CSOs, they have held engagements with the local people in those mining communities and asked that they bargain with parliamentarians during the campaign that they will only vote them in if that part of the bill stands and is passed into law.
The National Coordinator for Sierra Leone Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (SLEITI), Mohamed Baimba Koroma during his presentation of the institution’s 10th annual report, explained how the proposal was made after a series of complaints by landowners and community people that the monies given to other groups to invest in developmental projects in the community were not reflected in the community.
He explained that in the current model, landowners and lawful occupiers are given 50%, district councils 15%, paramount chiefs 15%, chiefdom administration 10% and 10% to MPs as constituency development fund.
He further explained that the surface rent is a mandatory payment for the right to use land obtained by the holders of all large-scale mining licenses to ensure maximum benefit to residents of the community, who according to him, are directly affected by the mining activities. Koroma added that the surface rent is compensation for the loss of economic livelihood.
Revealing the number of monies that were given to the different categories in 2019, he stated that the total amount given to landowners was $ 577,590, district councils received $230,417, whilst the chiefdom councils got 192,314. Paramount chiefs were given $170,522, whilst members of parliament received $83,903. Total surface rent paid to the different categories in 2019 was $1,254,746.
Chairman for Mines Committee in Parliament Emerson Saa Lamina from constituency 030 in Kono in explaining the new Mines and Minerals Act said transparency issues have been a far cry, a reason for the repeal and replacement of the Mines Act. He noted that before now, monies were given to paramount chiefs, MPs, chiefdom councils, and district councils “with less or no accountability” and that tangible development was hardly seen.
The MP explained that by the time the new mining bill becomes an Act, transparency will prevail, explaining that the monies will be accounted for.
The chairman said that citizens of the country will surely benefit from the country’s mining activities, highlighting that the surface rent increase, agricultural development fund, and the 10% free carriage interest are amongst the ways in which the citizens will benefit.
Lamina stated that in the new Act, the state, community, and investors, will be protected.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (08/06/22)
