Sansu, Ghana

The farming community of Sansu in the Ashanti region of Ghana is located in the heart of the Obuasi mining concession operated by the Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC). Sansu has a long history of artisanal mining, which served as an economic activity for youth in the community long before AGC began large-scale, open-pit mining in the area in the early 1980s.

With the development of the open-pit mine, AGC began using large tracts of agricultural lands as dumps for mine waste. During heavy rainfall, sediment from these waste dumps is washed directly into the Saa River which is the main source of drinking water for the community. In response to the water pollution, AGC dug a borehole for the community to access groundwater. But one well is an insufficient alternative: residents of Sansu have to wait for hours to get a turn at the well.

An artisanal miner who was attacked by AGC guard dogs.  Credit: WACAM

According to Ghanaian community group WACAM (Wassa Association of Communities Affected by Mining), conflict between artisanal miners and AGC has also resulted in brutalities against those living in Sansu. WACAM's fact-finding mission reveals evidence of human rights abuses. Between 1994 and 1997, AGC security personnel, acting in conjunction with the police and the military, killed three artisanal miners. In one incident in January 1997, 16 artisanal miners were severely beaten by AGC security personnel. WACAM also collected testimony from six other artisanal miners who say they were beaten and attacked by AGC security's guard dogs.

In 2006, various NGOs also revealed that military brutality has even led to the death of some small-scale miners.

Farmers and villagers also face harassment by AGC for traveling through areas considered restricted by the mining company. For example, the road used by AGC to haul ore from one of their underground mine shafts lies close to the village and is used by villagers to access their farms and nearby communities. While there are no physical barriers demarcating restricted areas, villagers who use this road could be arrested for "trespassing."

"AGC killed my son who was the breadwinner of the family," testifies Madam Ama Badu, mother of Justice Oppong, an artisanal miner who was beaten to death.  Credit: WACAM

AGC, which also operates gold mines in Guinea, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe, is part-owned by the Government of Ghana. At the end of 2003, the Government of Ghana and the South African company AngloGold reached agreement about a proposed merger between AGC and AngloGold. AngloGold is the world's most valuable mining company, worth over $30 billion in 2003.

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