The youth of Adaklu Abuadi in the Volta Region have organized a protest against Greenhouse Company, a Chinese-led quarry company that uses local rock formations as raw material for its chippings.
It is known that the company was founded to offer supplies for constructing roads.
It has been in operation for almost ten years.
Young people and other locals from throughout the nation protested against the quarry company, claiming that the neighborhood had not profited in any manner from its operations.
Clad in red mourning clothes, they marched on the streets, wailing over the destruction caused to the road by heavy duty trucks.
Despite not receiving any financial gain from the project, they claimed that locals were mistreated by the foreign workers who were always armed with firearms at the quarry and that site blasts caused local structures to fall.
The young in the hot procession carried several signs that read, among other things: “The Youth Say No to Tyrants,” “Chinese, Your Cup is Full,” “Enough is Enough,” and “Action Now! Our Buildings are Collapsing and Abudi Deserves Better are two such songs.
“MP Agbodza Show Your Concern” was another. “Abuadi Must Develop By Force,” “The Chinese Must Leave Right Away,” “The Quarry is a Nuisance in Abuadi,” and “If you don’t act Right Away, We Will Be Inhumane” are some of the statements that were made.
As the youth and other Diaspora groups walked to the community center to provide their addresses, there were hooting noises.
According to conveyor and youth leader Raymond Akadi, the business has been running in Adaklu Abuadi since September 2012 till the present.
The youth believe that the Chinese corporation should cease operations in order to prevent the community from suffering from related health issues because their actions had caused so much destruction that the community had suffered from without any recognized conflict or benefit to the community at all.
The dilapidation of buildings in the village as a result of frequent dynamite blasts was also cited. He continued, “Based on the operations of the Chinese Company, we believe our basic human rights have been infringed.”
The “fear of farmers on the field and in the neighborhood due to flying stones, while at work as well as hitting the roofs of the houses near the quarry site in the community day and night” is another issue.
The agitated youngsters described how the community had lost its freedom as a result of the quarry activities, and they expressed concern about the environmental pollution caused by the dust and noise as well as the associated health risks.
The road from Adaklu Tsrefe to Adaklu Waya is now impassable due to the continuous 24-hour use of heavy-duty trucks, and the intimidation by Chinese men brandishing weapons is despicable.
When locals visit Ho and return home, they are forced to disembark and walk or pay additional, excessive fees. As a result, drivers are unwilling to travel the road from Tsrefe to Abuadi.
The youth representative claimed that they believed the Chinese had colluded with the local authorities to exploit the resource unfairly.
They demanded information on the deal, as well as information about the concession’s social and environmental impacts. They also wanted to know the specifics of any corporate social responsibility clauses.
They questioned “why the community roads will stay in poor condition while stones will be quarried in Adaklu Abuadi and utilized to build other roads.
“We are adamant that the Chinese company’s quarry operations have become a nuisance in the neighborhood. Based on this, we are pleading with the Paramount Chief, his elders, and the District Chief Executive to inform the institution or person that awarded the contract to tell the Chinese to stop their work immediately and leave the area.
The conveyor stated, “Failure to abide by the above, the kids will advise themselves as they consider proper.”
The petition was accepted by elders of the village who agreed to send it on to the proper people.
Etornam Anorson, an Assembly representative for the area, remarked that “ten years of quarrying should have developed Abuadi by now,” and he praised the group’s unwavering determination to alter perceptions.
The Assembly member claimed to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the royal family controlled the concession’s royalties and that numerous attempts to increase stakeholder participation had failed.
“We demand that the business review its approach to corporate social responsibility. In the name of humanity, it should be taken into consideration even if there is disagreement, Mr. Anorson remarked, implying that legal action was being contemplated.
The GNA encountered the site that was manned by armed police and security after trying in vain to contact the company’s management.
The Adaklu Chief Executive, Madam Juliana Kpedekpo, informed the GNA that she had not yet received any plea from the youth.