Abdoulie Boto Gaye, Chairman of the Village Development Committee (VDC) of Sanyang, has strongly defended the operations of GACH Mining Company.
He says GACH is the only mining company that has benefitted his community since mining began in the coastal settlement during the colonial era.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Voice Newspaper, Chairman Gaye revealed that GACH had invested millions of dalasis in Sanyang on various development projects that have significantly advanced the progress of the community.
His comments came in reaction to a recent publication by The Republic Newspaper, which highlighted the environmental and economic dangers posed by mining companies along the coast, including reported revenue losses to both the government and local communities.
“As far as we (Sanyang) are concerned, GACH is the only mining company that has ever spent part of its income in the community. Mining has been ongoing in Sanyang since colonial times, but no company apart from GACH ever spent a dime in Sanyang,” Gaye reiterated.
He added: “Gambia Mineral Limited (GML), Kanagie Minerals, Unity Mining Company, and Ginko Mining Company have all done mining in Sanyang, but none of them have spent a butut in the village. These companies have extracted millions of dollars’ worth of resources without anything to show in Sanyang unlike GACH, which has spent millions of dalasis on the welfare of our people.”
According to him, GACH has supported numerous community projects, including constructing a waiting room at the Sanyang Health Centre and a community police station, distributing sugar and rice during Ramadan, rehabilitating feeder roads, sponsoring students at the University of The Gambia and The Gambia College, and planning the construction of a central mosque valued at D12 million.
He also rejected reports claiming that GACH had failed to restore mined sites, asserting that only GACH has undertaken full restoration work. “Ginko, Unity, Kanagie Minerals, and Alhamdullillah Mining Company of former President Yahya Jammeh never did restoration, unlike GACH,” he said.
Gaye further disclosed that all GACH drivers in Sanyang are natives of the community, and the company has also employed other locals and sponsored youth in sports development.
