Resource information
Report highlighting how poor communities in Obuasi, Ghana are suffering environmental pollution and social problems apparently as a result of gold mining activity. It examines how rivers and streams have been polluted with arsenic, iron, manganese and heavy metals from past gold mining activities by Anglo American’s subsidiary, AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) and its predecessor, Ashanti Goldfields Corporation (AGC).According to the report AGA is failing to report its activities accurately to shareholders and the public and some of these failures are serious. There are at least three areas in which evidence collected by this report contradicts claims made by AGA:on-going water contamination up to 38 times above maximum legal limits, environmental damage and toxic flooding affecting local food security in the Obuasi areadiscrepancies between AGA’s claims to have provided adequate compensation after a toxic spill and testimony by local witnessescompany claims that Awudu Mohammed, a suspected illegal miner, was not shot on 21 June 2005 are contradicted by evidence obtained by this reportThe report is calling for tougher domestic company laws worldwide and also for new international laws to regulate corporations and their subsidiaries to help ensure greater respect for peoples’ rights. The report argues that tougher reporting requirements and greater legal duties on directors of UK-listed companies to take steps to minimise any negative social and environmental impacts on communities overseas could help prevent some of the issues. The report also lists a number of specific recommendations for AngloGold Ashanti, the Ghana government and the UK government.
