The Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining (WACAM) says the Appiate-Bogoso blast must be a wake-up call for mining companies to place value on the safety of residents in the communities of operation.
The group is also worried the dwindling Corporate Social Responsibilities of these companies is making lives difficult for inhabitants, and thus must be critically tackled.
WACAM is raising these concerns following the deadly explosion that occurred after a truck carrying mining explosives collided with a motorcycle, leading to a complete destruction of the whole community.
Technical Director of WACAM, Kwaku Afari says the disaster could have been averted if constant community engagements on safety protocols for persons living in mining communities are held.
The lack of these stakeholder discussions and information sharing, according to Mr. Afari, if enforced by regulatory bodies, could shape behaviour in times of potential safety hazards, explaining that, but he initial Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) nothing else is done to prioritise the safety of residents.
“This is what we have been advocating for the past decade, and constantly hampering on the issue of community strides that communities are empowered with information about the operations of Mining companies so that communities can make informed decisions in instances like this”, he said on the Big Issue.
Aside from the failure of the mining companies to educate host communities about the dangers of their operation, Kwaku Afari accused the firms of doing too little to improve socio-economic development.
“I think the level of social amenities we get from these mining companies does not really match the benefits these communities are getting from the mining activities. To a large extent, the communities are not benefiting. Some of them do not have potable water and good, even good roads. The benefits and activities in terms of revenue do not reflect in our standard of living.”
