Community

Obuasi Mine in Ghana has been working to establish an aquaculture project since November 2006. The project has developed and expanded since then, and by December 2008 was approximately 70% complete.

This decommissioning plan is located at Homasi pit at Obuasi, which has seen the conversion of a mined-out pit into a sustainable aquaculture project. Its purpose is to promote aquaculture as a sustainable project for the surrounding communities.

In May 2007 the project was formally launched on site by project managers Messrs Jorge y Joyce Ltd [JyJ Ltd]. Asarae Darpaah, the Project Director, approached AngloGold Ashanti with the proposal, and was tasked with the design and development of the project.

The fish for the pit are grown in fish tanks on land by members of three surrounding communities. There are currently nine fish cages, with the long term estimate of 35.

Additional components of the project include leafy vegetable cultivation, livestock development, development of a beach area on the side of the pit, the re-grassing of slopes in the local mining area; and re-vegetation of degraded areas. Vegetable cultivation, which is still in the planning phase, is the project which could yield the most immediate benefits, as it has a short turnaround time, and can generate income and food through the year. The farming of animals has the same potential. There are currently 15 people employed in the aquaculture project, and 12 people on the re-vegetation and restoration project.

The growth and expansion of the aquaculture project during 2008 has allowed more community members to become involved. According to Darpaah, increasing the options available for the local community is important, “because if one is afraid to work on or near water, as some community members are, there must be an alternative way for them to get involved and support the project”.

Good environmental practices are a key element of this project. Effluent water from the on-land cultivation fish tanks will be recycled and used to irrigate crops. Similarly, faeces from the livestock will be treated and used as organic manure in the vegetable farms and fish tanks, where necessary. The re-grassing of slopes will also help to prevent erosion, and the re-vegetation of degraded areas will help in addressing the operational impact on the environment by establishing sustainable eco-systems.

One of the most obvious benefits of the aquaculture project is that fresh fish is now available for the local communities’ consumption. But with a high demand for protein locally, communities are also likely to benefit from selling the fish. This sustainable means of livelihood has the potential to raise community income, increase people’s protein intake and improve general living conditions.

By the end of 2008, the project was almost 70% completed, measuring against its original scope, but a further proposal from the project managers means this project may well expand further. Phase Two and Phase Three proposals include the construction of chalets and recreational spaces around the artificial lake as part of the development of a broader eco-tourism operation.