By Ben T.C. Brooks
Senator Dabah M. Varpilah of Grand Cape Mount County is calling for an all-inclusive amendment of the September 7, 2023 extended 25-year Mineral Development Agreement (MDA) of the Bea Mountain Mining Corporation (BMMC).
The Senator said that her push for a comprehensive revision of the deal is predicated on the fact that the living conditions of community dwellers in Kinjor and surrounding communities, where Bea Mountain Mining Corporation operates to produce billions of USD in gold exports, remain poor and unacceptable.
Speaking on Capitol Hill, Senator Varpilah claimed that communities in Cape Mount hosting Bea Mountain still lack basic social services including infrastructure, employment opportunities, and sustainable benefits from the extraction of their mineral resources, especially gold.
“When the volume and value of minerals being extracted from the county are compared with the living conditions of the people, there is a wide gap that continues to disadvantage ordinary citizens,” the Senator said.
Senator Varpilah also slammed Bea Mountain over its failure to create employment and technical skills development opportunities for young people in Grand Cape Mountain as reflected in the Mineral Development Agreement. She said Bea Mountain has failed to effectively implement a TVET program intended to equip and prepare local residents, including the youth, for job opportunities even though this is part of the agreement.
According to latest data released by Bea Mountain, the company produces 900 kilograms of gold every month, which is valued at over US$137 million. But citizens living in their operational areas say they do not have access to basic social services including safe drinking water, housing, electricity, quality education, and health.
More details to follow.
