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| Prez John Mahama |
Members of the
National Coalition on Mining (NCOM) from northern Ghana say, they strongly
oppose the appointment of Dr. Toni Aubynn as Chief Executive Officer of the
Minerals Commission of Ghana, a decision they described as “unfair and
inaccurate for the nation’s interest”.
Over the past few years, NCOM has been working with the Minerals
Commission to improve interaction and mutual confidence between mining policy
makers and society towards reducing the negative impacts of mining while
improving the contribution of the sector to national development and citizens'
benefit.
A statement issued in Tamale to the media and signed by
Spokesperson of the group Mr. Issifu Sulemana Jobila, said a lot of work
remains to be done by both NCOM and the Minerals Commission. “Unfortunately,
the appointment of Dr. Aubynn well known in the past as an advocate of
corporate mining interests as Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals
Commission according to NCOM is not a good signal for the interest of Ghana.
As representatives of NCOM at the community level in northern
Ghana, they called on President John Mahama to reconsider his decision on the
appointment of Dr. Aubynn as Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission.
The Minerals Commission is a constitutionally mandated body
responsible for the regulation and management of the minerals sector of the
economy in the national interest.
“As grassroots members of NCOM, we are not only shocked by his
appointment but also deeply concerned and regretted that the appointment points
to a pattern of submission by the Mahama Administration to the interests of
foreign mining capital.
“Unarguable Dr.
Aubynn is a citizen of Ghana. However, our concerns arise from the fact that he
is a champion of transnational mining companies. Until his appointment, he was
the CEO of the Ghana Chamber of Mines in which position he consistently
defended the interest of transnational mining companies. There is a record of
his pronouncements even after his appointment in defense of these interests
which are not only completely opposed to the optimization of national benefit
from the country's non-renewal mineral resources which raises questions about
his capacity to discharge his responsibilities as head of the Minerals
Commission impartially and equitably”, the statement said.
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| Dr. Toni Aubynn |
A striking
example of his advocacy for corporate interests, it said, “has been his role in
the campaign in Ghana and around the globe against efforts to raise royalties
and taxes paid by the mining companies. At a time when gold prices had risen
astronomically (from US$400 in 2003 to almost US$1,900 in 2011) and government
wanted to introduce legislation to capture a lot more of the share of this bounty,
the Chamber of Mines, fronted by Dr. Aubynn, resisted this move. This was based
on the palpably false claim that the industry was overtaxed. In seeking to
deflect the demand for a greater national share of mineral earnings, the
Chamber tried to make itself the champion of a greater community share of
royalties”, the statement noted.
According to
the statement, Dr. Aubynn's appointment came soon after President Mahama used
the 2014 Davos World Economic Forum to make a very public submission to the
demands of mining companies. It was there that he (President Mahama) announced
that in “response to their pressure the government was shelving its plan to
impose a windfall tax aimed at increasing the public share of mineral earnings”.
Thus NCOM asked,
Is it unreasonable to assume that Dr. Aubynn's appointment to head the Minerals
Commission does not only underline the influence of the mining companies in the
corridors of powers but also means that they now have a firm ally in charge of
the key public body overseeing the mining sector?
“Given Dr. Aubynn's long standing defense of the interests of
transnational mining firms we doubt his capacity to be impartial, equitable and
lead the drive towards the optimal use of Ghana's mineral wealth for the
benefit of its people. We have serious doubts about Dr. Aubynn's ability to
serve the national interest as CEO of the Minerals Commission, especially at
this juncture when the whole African continent is moving to break with the
mining regimes that subordinated national to corporate interests.
“We wonder how Dr. Aubynn can effectively head a state
organization which should be ensuring that the mining industry develops better
environmental and social sensitivity, and that the country derives maximum
benefit from its mineral assets and which should also be a leading voice in the
ECOWAS and Africa reform process. Is it unreasonable to fear that the
Commission under his leadership will prioritise the interest of the companies
for whom he has been such an energetic mouthpiece in the
past? The statement queried.
Meanwhile, Dr. Toni Aubynn has been at post since April 2014.
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