Ada: Indigenes demonstrate against Electrochem Ltd over salt mining in Songor lagoon

Thousands of indigenes of Ada in the Greater Accra region today, Thursday, 10 February 2022, held a protest over the activities of Electrochem Ghana Limited in the Songor Lagoon.

According to the residents, the agreement signed by the chiefs of the area with regards to the Songor Lagoon, does not favour them.

They are, thus, calling on government to take a second look at the agreement.

The group clad in red and wielding placards gathered at Big Ada for the protest.

The group emphasised that the lagoon is a source of livelihood for most residents of the area.

One of the Conveners for the group, Lawrence Lomotey Sewu told Classfmonline that: “The Songhor has been released to Mcdan with its surrounding communities. The Songhor is the only source of livelihood for the people and they are saying that, part of it can be given to the company but not all of it.”

He indicated that Electrochem Ghana, the company in charge of developing the lagoon has been attacking the residents.

Mr Sewu explained that: “They are beating, brutalising and attacking the residents around the place. When they [residents] harvest salt, Mcdan opens the water and it destroys their salt.”

He appealed to government and the Chiefs of Ada to reconsider the agreement entered into with the company in order to protect the livelihoods of residents of the area.

“We are calling on the paramountcy that the agreement they signed on our behalf, we’re not okay. So we’re calling on them and government to reconsider the agreement,” Convener for the group said.

McDan Group, is currently embarking on an ongoing project by Electrochem Ghana Limited to develop the Sangor Lagoon.

Chairman of the McDan Group, Daniel Mckorley has said: “The project will inure to the benefit of the people more; our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) footprints here at Ada are already evident, but the journey has just begun.”

However, in recent times, the youth of the area, have staged a series of protests against the operations of  the company.

Source: classfmonline.com