By Amin Kef Sesay
On Thursday, 30th July 2020, Meya Mining presented a ceremonial cheque for Nine Hundred and Seventy-Five Million Seven Hundred and Fifty-Five Thousand Leones (Le 975,755,000) to its four host chiefdoms; Gbense, Kamara, Nimikoro and Tankoro, in a ceremony held at the Kono District Council Hall, to commemorate the Company’s maiden Surface Rent payment.
In anticipation of the granting of a Large-scale Mining License (ML 02/2019) in 2019, Meya Mining entered into a Surface Lease Agreement with the four chiefdoms on the 7th June 2019, in compliance with Section 34 (a) of the Mines and Minerals Act 2009.
Welcoming stakeholders to the event, the Company’s Stakeholder Relations Manager, Catherine Finda Greenwood, noted that the payment of Surface Rent at a time when the Company, like many others, has to contend with the debilitating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges, underscored its commitment to fulfilling its statutory obligations to its stakeholders. Mrs. Greenwood reminded the respective recipients that payment of the Surface Rent would be done by way of direct bank transfer, as per the banking details which they provided to the Company.
In his statement, the Co-chairman for the programme, the National Minerals Agency (NMA) Manager in Kono District, Mohamed Gaima, emphasised the need for investors seeking to acquire mineral rights in any part of the country to first get the buy-in from the host community before submitting an application to the NMA. “Government has made this mandatory,” he added.
He further commented on the importance of the aspect of the law that addresses community agreement. According to him, in the past there had been a lot of controversies among landowners, investors, and the Government. Mr. Gaima noted that in a way to address the many community grievances, Government has now made provisions for a Community Development Agreement to be signed between Large-Scale Mining License holders and the host communities, which would give landowners the confidence of potential benefits in exchange for the utilization of their land.
“In adherence to the Law, Meya Mining signed a Surface Lease Agreement with its host communities in June 2019, which is why we are here today so that they can honor their commitment,” he concluded.
Speaking on behalf of the Company and its shareholders, Dino Coutinho, the Chief Operating Officer of Meya Mining, expressed profound gratitude to the host communities for creating the enabling environment for the Company to, firstly, conduct its exploration program between 2016 and 2019, and then to transition to a large scale mining operation, following the acquisition of a Large-scale Mining License (EL 02/2019) on 26 July 2019. Dino also thanked the Government for granting Meya Mining a 25-year large-scale mining license. In anticipation of the acquisition of the License, he said, the Company and the landowners signed the Surface Lease Agreement in June 2019.
Mr. Coutinho, lamented that the COVID-19 induced challenges have, in recent times, dogged business entities like Meya, and, by extension, their host communities and Government. COVID-19, he emphasized, remains a clear and present danger. “It has not gone away yet. It is still with us,” he warned. “Throughout this time, we have remained in a state of operational readiness, even as we wait for the easing of restrictions that will enable us to continue with the development of the Mine,” Dino added.
The re-opening of the airport, he said, was a good sign that some sort of normalcy is returning, which, he said, would allow for the rotation of some key staff and the importing of critical spears and items needed for the operation. In these trying times, the Chief Operating Officer said, Meya has maintained their staffing levels, keeping all their personnel on board as they hope to hit the ground running very shortly.
Concluding his rather detailed presentation, Dino assured stakeholders that this maiden Surface Rent payment was the first of many to come. “We are here for the long haul. Meya is here to stay and with your help, we are going to develop the Meya Mining operation into a world-class asset for the community, the host government, the shareholders and all stakeholders. We hope we will be sitting here again soon for the second payment,” he assured.
In his statement, Ibrahim Satti Kamara, the Community Affairs Director of the National Minerals Agency of Sierra Leone (NMA) expressed delight at seeing the community receiving benefits from their minerals. He congratulated Meya for meeting their obligations, even at this difficult time with the company’s operations. He added that Dino’s presentation on the percentage distribution of the Surface Rent was not manufactured by Meya-it is stipulated by the Mines and Minerals Act of 2009.
Mr. Kamara reminded stakeholders that the surface rent they were about to receive was just one of the many benefits their communities could enjoy from mining companies. The CDA, employment opportunities, and CSR projects, are among other benefits, he said, they host communities stand to derive, as the company expands its operations.
The Director also had words of admonishment for the beneficiaries; “Receiving these monies also means the community should be able to put them into profitable use. And one such use could be personal development.” Since surface rent is mostly geared towards landowners, he encouraged parents to develop themselves and their children so, in the long-run, the community would have something tangible as benefits derived from Meya Mining’s surface rent.
He lauded the strides that have been made by the NMA to, as he put it, “change the face of mining.” The narrative, he said, is that mining companies should leave a landmark of their operations in any community. He concluded by thanking and commending the people of Kono for making the process smooth and peaceful, unlike what he had experienced in other mining communities.
P.C. Aiah Denton Bona III of Nimikoro Chiefdom was the first of the four Paramount Chiefs to respond. “The day is a good one in the lives of the four host chiefdoms,” he declared. He recounted the controversy he had with Meya during the height of their exploration about a year ago. He said what happened did not happen because they hated Meya, as they only wanted to have an understanding as a family.
Thankfully, he said they all enjoyed the privilege at the office of His Excellency the President and had the dispute sorted. He congratulated Meya on their progress made in acquiring the Large-scale Mining License and was thankful that they were now talking about surface rent, which, in his view, is a giant step for the Company. The Chief used the opportunity to also thank the Community Affairs Director of NMA for his advice on the utilization of the Surface Rent and for making clear distinction between private money and public money for the attention of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).
P.C. Bona disclosed that the Surface Rent he received will be used for its intended purposes, as 10% out of the 50% allocated for landowners and 5% of his own allocation will be set aside to assist community teachers who are not yet in the government’s payroll, distance learning students who are struggling for assistance, and for the maintenance of community structures in the Chiefdom. This, he said, is what he and his people have decided.
P.C. Sahr Fengai Kaimachiande III of Gbense Chiefdom was brief in his response, focusing mainly on the level of transparency that was on display. Of utmost importance in this process, he said, was the level of transparency presented by Dino. He said the transparency shown will take away a lot of burden off the Paramount Chiefs and the host community leaders. The Chief noted that Meya Mining is a serious company and that he will continue to give his unflinching support to them.
P.C. Paul Ngaba Saquee V of Tankoro Chiefdom registered similar sentiments, adding that other like-minded Sierra Leoneans need to follow the footsteps of the Director of Meya Mining Mr. Ibrahim Sorie Kamara, an indigenous Sierra Leonean who has demonstrated a very good example for the youth to emulate. He admonished the youth of Kono to desist from anything that will create unrest for any mining company in the District.
He assured Meya Mining of his relentless support and promised that his subjects will not be part of anything that will create instability for any mining company in Kono. Mining companies, he said, are here to support the people, especially the youth and the government. Chief Saquee, encouraged stakeholders to adopt a more conciliatory approach to addressing grievances. “If there is any grievance between the company and the community we should call on the attention of the company in a civil manner rather than being emotional,” he stressed.
The Chairman Kono District Council, Mr. Solomon Gbondo, also applauded the transparency Meya had shown in the surface rent distribution presentation, he stated that the surface rent is coming at the right time when they are struggling for funds to complete the council’s many projects across the districts. He said thankfully Meya has been able to fulfill its commitment as this he said will foster a good working relationship with the host chiefdoms whilst enhancing development in the district and added that the Council will continue to give its full support to Meya Mining.
Assuring the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) he said Councils are the most audited institutions, at three audits per year, so they are not afraid to receive funds from any institution based on their level of financial prudence and they will ensure that some of their projects are completed with the funds received from Meya.
Making a short statement the Anti-Corruption Commission Manager in Kono, Mrs. Hawanatu Kamara, applauded Meya for the transparent presentation to the community on the surface rent payment distribution. She said the Commission’s statutory mandate is to encourage a transparent process in relation to any public funds meant for the utilization of public projects. She added that, as a Commission, the ACC will ensure to give their support in addressing any form of corruption. She continued to encourage the community and stakeholders to use those monies judiciously for its intended purposes.
Percentage Distribution of Surface Rent Payment to the four host chiefdoms as shown in the table below (as presented during the ceremony).
Enquiries: Catherine Finda Greenwood
Stakeholder Relations Manager
