Speaking to the Ghanaian Times here in an interview following the opposition the report faced in Parlia­ment and the deferred final decision today, he called for further consul­tations and urged MPs to prioritise national interests over individual ones.

Nene Akuaku III said he was sat­isfied with the part of the report that said ‘Electrochem should continue to allocate more space to the indigenes for salt production’ because that had been all that he wanted for the peo­ple and urged Parliament to adopt the report to promote peace, unity, and development in the region.

He appealed to Parliament to adopt the report to ensure the continuous development of Ada, highlighting the positive impact Elec­trochem Ghana Limited had been on the community.

In the report, the committee emphasised the importance of continuous stakeholder engagement to address misconceptions among some locals who believe that the salt, a national resource, is solely owned by the indigenes.

It recommends that the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) undertake a significant educational campaign in the salt mining area to inform locals that salt, like gold in the Ashanti Region, petroleum in the Western Region, and bauxite in the Eastern Region, is a natural mineral and a national asset.

The report also calls for Members of Parliament to organise local edu­cation tours and durbars to reinforce this message and discourage political figures from using national assets for political gain, which could incite unrest among the indigenes.

Additionally, it stresses that local mining should comply with en­vironmental laws as regulated by the Minerals Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency, and that Electrochem Ghana Limited should aid indigenes in adopting best practices in salt mining.

To ensure the success of this national project, the report high­lights the need for serious security measures in the communities and for educating locals about the benefits of the project.

The report also addresses the need for investigations into the death of Numo Korletey Agormedah, who was allegedly killed on November 6, 2023, urging the police to prosecute the perpetrator(s) and to resolve minor criminal complaints amicably to reduce tension. Any disputes over the extent of the concession should be referred to the Minerals Commis­sion for resolution.

According to the report, Electro­chem Ghana Limited is encouraged to expand its social intervention activities to alleviate poverty in the communities as the project progress­es.

It is noted that the company has undertaken social intervention activi­ties to enhance the livelihoods of the Ada people by providing significant financial support and engaging in corporate social responsibility initiatives.

During the plenary debate last Friday, some NDC MPs, including those from the area, criticised the report for favoring Electrochem Ghana Limited.

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, deferred the final decision on the report to today, after calling for further consul­tations and urging MPs to prioritise national interests over individual ones.