Publication

1. Obtain Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of land owners and communities to be affected by mining before grant of mining concessions.
2. Designate forest reserves, water bodies and arable lands as “No Go Zones” for mining.
3. Say no to mining in Forest reserve and other protected areas.
4. Provide alternative farm lands for farmers displaced by mining operations.
5. Pollution of water bodies by mining companies must stop.
6. Protect our sacred and cultural sites from mining activities.
7. Let mining royalties benefit mining communities.
8. Pay prompt and adequate compensation for all property affected by mining operations.
9. Reduce the powers of the minister in granting mining concessions.
10. Decentralized decisions on grant of mining concessions.
11. Enforce laws on reclamation of degraded environment by mining companies.
12. No mining should be permitted close to settlements.
13. Apply polluter pays principles to the mining companies and their operations.
14. Develop land use plan for the country.
15. Compel companies to undertake and disclose baseline studies on prevailing diseases in concession areas prior to commencement of operations.
16. Reduce duration of stability agreement to five (5) years.
17. Limit the duration of capitalization of expenditure.
18. Mining communities must have unimpeded access to the courts.
19. Establish more high courts to improve determination of compensation cases.
20. Enforce small scale mining licensing law.
21. Under Environmental Impact Assessment, communities must be given 90 days prior notification before public hearings are conducted instead of 21 days.
22. The Minerals and Mining Law must provide for development of specific mining sector local content.
    Government agencies and mining companies should ensure full disclosure of records and information on mining activities.

Funded by: Open Society Initiative for West Africa