Residents of Sheaga in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region are intensifying calls on Cardinal Namdini Mining Limited and other mining companies operating in the area to establish a dedicated community development fund.
According to them, such a fund is the only sustainable way to guarantee that the local people benefit directly from the extraction of resources from their lands.
The residents argue that the fund should be financed by Cardinal Namdini, Earl International, and any future mining companies in the district. They insist that proceeds from the fund must be directed toward improving access to safe drinking water, healthcare, education, road infrastructure, and livelihood restoration programs.
The demand was tabled in a petition presented to Cardinal Namdini after a massive demonstration on Sunday, August 31, 2025. In the petition, the people gave the mining firm until the end of September to dissolve its existing employment committee, which they described as opaque and discriminatory, and replace it with a more transparent and inclusive structure.
Speaking at the protest, Toah Gilbert Landola, Secretary of the Talensi Mining Communities Initiative (TMCI), accused Cardinal Namdini of failing to comply with the Minerals and Mining (Compensation and Resettlement) Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2175).
He noted that several proposals for a formal Relationship Agreement covering social responsibility, employment, environmental protection, and the establishment of a development fund—have been consistently ignored by the company.
Mr. Landola further alleged that the company’s activities have caused serious environmental and health hazards, including the improper disposal of chemical waste during rainfall, which contaminates local water sources.
“The company’s operations have led to the loss of livelihoods, freedoms, and prosperity for our communities. Promises made during the initial stages have not been fulfilled, leaving us with poverty, poor infrastructure, and lack of basic services,” he said.
The petitioners also called for: The dismissal of Cardinal Namdini’s Community Social Responsibility Officer and Community Liaison Officer, accusing them of failing to represent the people’s interests. Reclamation of degraded lands to restore farming opportunities. A binding commitment to provide clean pipe-borne water and boreholes to replace the unsafe water sources currently available.
Supporting the demands, Charles Boarzor Bazimwomit, another member of TMCI, stressed that the proposed development fund would be the most reliable mechanism to deliver social services.
“Right now, even you will not drink our water because you know it is unsafe. That is why we demand quality pipe-borne water and boreholes from Bolga to our land. The fund must guarantee this,” he said.
