The FGR/Bluegold Issues: Why the Board Chair of Minerals Commission should have recused herself

The long tango over the financial and technical competence of FGR Bogoso Prestea Mine to manage the Bogoso Prestea mining lease seems to have intensified following the announced termination of the mining lease of the company by the Minister in Charge of Lands and Natural Resources.

Though the news brought joy to a section of the workforce of FGR Bogoso Prestea Mine who have longed advocated for the company’s lease to be terminated, even at the expense of their outstanding entitlements, the swift counter-response by the communications team of Bluegold Bogoso Prestea Mine deflated that joy.

Bluegold in their response informed the general public of their objection to the termination though they were yet to receive an official revocation notice from the Minerals Commission on behalf of the sector Minister. It was observed in the statement which communicated the termination of the mining lease of the company that, the decision to terminate was taken on September 3, 2024, after the Minister had engaged the Minerals Commission, representatives of the company and a Ministerial committee constituted to review the activities of the Mine.

As a worried citizen of the Dumasi community (the closest community to the Mine) over the current state of the Mine, I asked why the Ministry will wait until September 18 before communicating its decision with regards to the termination of the mining lease of the company when the decision to terminate was concluded on September 3.

If the workforce had not besieged the premises of the Ministry would the termination have been announced? It is rumoured that though the Minister, Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor was still engaging the executive management of Bluegold (New owners of the Bogoso Prestea Mining) to remedy the situation and get all staff and other creditors paid, the Board Chair of Minerals Commission, Hon. Lawyer Barbara Oteng-Gyasi felt such cooperation by the minister will jeopardize her political ambition as she campaigns to recapture the Prestea Huni Valley parliamentary seat. Hon. Lawyer Oteng-Gyasi who serves as the Board Chairperson of the Minerals Commission and the parliamentary aspirant of the ruling government, the NPP, is very much aware of how the situation at FGR Bogoso Prestea will affect her chances in the upcoming elections.

The allegations against the Hon. aspiring MP putting unbearable pressure on the Minister to get the license of FGR terminated though she is very much aware of the difficulty in getting suitable investors before this year’s elections does come as a surprise to the many citizens of the constituency. In her many interviews on local radio stations, she has made several prejudicial statements concerning the termination of the mining lease of the company.

In one of her interviews in February this year, Hon. Lawyer Barbara Oteng-Gyasi informed listeners of her lobbying of the executives of the Mineral Income and Investment Fund (MIIF) to invest about $20m into the mine as a relief for workers. It is only an act of desperation that will make her think of MIIF bailing out a struggling mine without thinking about the implications of such actions MIIF. In all her numerous interviews, you can hear the voice of a desperate chairperson and aspiring Member of Parliament.

The restlessness in voice, engagement and commentary on the matter is surely not because of the welfare of the ordinary worker, the local community or the revamping of the mine. It can surely be attributed to her fear of a defeat in the upcoming elections. If she cared so much, she would have heeded the cry of the workforce three years ago when they started complaining about the financial stress of the mine. It was easy for Barbara to ignore such calls since it wasn’t an election year.

As a community citizen of the mine and an Indigenous wassa, who has observed the outcome of parliamentary elections in the Prestea Huni Valley Constituency over the past 20 years, it is understandable that the FGR situation will scare the Board Chair of the Minerals Commission and some extent the CEO and his team who serve the board of the commission. It explains the haste with which the company’s termination was announced to the media and the general public without a formal revocation issued to the company by the Minerals Commission.

Procedurally, one will think a revocation notice would have been issued or served to the company before an announcement to that effect is made. More surprising is the constitution of an Interim Management Committee by the CEO of the commission, Mr. Martin Ayisi, on the same day, thus September 20, the company was served with a formal revocation notice. The question is why the rush by the commission to kick blue-gold out of the mine, disregarding all protocols and legal requirements for such an act of termination. It is obvious that the speed at which the 2024 election is approaching and the eagerness of Hon. Barbara Oteng-Gyasi to regain her seat has pushed Martin Ayisi to forget his credible law experience to breach laid-down procedures for the benefit of his boss.

Analyzing the potential impact of the termination of the mining lease of the Bluegold Bogoso Prestea Mine on potential foreign investors, and the action of a person seeking re-election, one would have thought the Hon. Board chair would have resigned from their position. This would have given the board and the commission firmness and fairness in handling the situation more professionally.

Respectfully, the chairperson’s position on the matter will likely conflict with her quest to ascend the swinging seat of the PHVC. The haphazard manner in which the commission and its board have handled this situation serves as a lesson to all investors in the mining industry. It is unfortunate that conflict of interest doesn’t matter in our part of the world. However, I still believe it is never too late for the Hon. former MP to rescue herself from the issues of the FGR and blue-gold Bogoso Prestea mining issues.

She can salvage her almost lost credibility on this matter if she willingly and honourably steps aside to allow a neutral board and commission to spearhead the issues. I will continue to pray and hope that the Bogoso Prestea mine attracts the right investment.