Kinjor, Cape Mount County – As a fulfillment of its corporate social responsibility to the people of Grand Cape Mount County, particularly residents of the gold mining town of Kinjor, the Bea Mountain Mining Corporation (BMMC) has turned over 200 housing units along with a clinic to the citizens.
The housing units, as well as a junior high school building and a well-furnished medical clinic, were turned over to the residents of the community during an elaborate ceremony over the weekend.
Attended by key stakeholders, including the nation’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Francis Ketteh, Grand Cape Mount County Superintendent Tenneh Kpalegba along with entourage of local leaders, Accountability Lab through its Executive Director, Lawrence Yealue, among others, the event had a very charming and historic nature, more so with a medical facility built there for the first time since its inception as a town hosting over 5000 residents.
Making the presentation of the housing units, school, clinic, as well as the town hall in which the event was held, the general manager of BMMC, Ozkah Umurhan, said his company is committed to making sure that all of its promises made to national government and the leadership of the county, including leaders of Kinjor, are adequately accomplished.
“When we came here almost two years ago, we made a commitment to provide better living conditions for the people here.”
We promised that in time we were going to build for them better housing units, a health center, a school for the education of their children as well as a town hall wherein they could be able to meet and discuss issues pertinent to their well-being.”
“Today we have come to demonstrate this by presenting the first phase of our promise,” Umurhan said.
He said a sum of US$10,000 has already been given for the purchase of Christmas gifts, particularly in food kinds and an additional US$10,000 was given before Christmas Day in order for every household to receive something for the day.
The Manager of Community and Government Relations for BMMC, Sando Wayne, told this newspaper after the ceremony, that the project cost is about US$27,370 and that the remaining 122 units will be built before the end of this Dry Season.
He pointed out that BMMC will take care of health workers’ salaries for a year before government takes over the facility.
For his part, the Chief Medical Officer of Liberia, Dr. Francis Ketteh, said the Ministry of Health is excited that BMMC has lived up to its commitment.
“As we appreciate the little yet very important gift from this company, let the citizens of this place also be grateful and look forward to a brighter future.
Health in particularly is the bedrock of a good workforce and as such BMMC has just done well by making available a healthcare center to all of you here.
We have already recruited a team of health practitioners, who will take care of you here,” Dr. Ketteh noted.
Also making remarks, the representative-elect of Grand Cape Mount County Electoral District #2, Manbu Sonie, said he was impressed with the efforts of the company because it has lived up to its promise.
Rep.-elect Sonie, in whose district Kinjor is situated, noted that the current management of BMMC has respect for local leadership.
“My concern is that the living conditions of my people should change. I am not after you for any other thing but change in the best interest of my people,” he said.
Receiving the facilities from BMMC on behalf of the residents of Kinjor, Mr. Yakpawullo Gbelee said he and his fellow residents are grateful and hoped for more good things to come to their settlement. “Bea Mountain is a good company.
They are paying us well; they also care about how we feel. So we say thank you and we promise that we will take good care of these houses,” Gbelee said.
The construction of the resettlement homes in New Kinjor Village is part of the mine’s obligation to livelihood restoration, while addressing the permanent housing commitment to direct project affected people, who were resettled because of the operations of New Liberty Gold Mine (NLGM) project.
Locals molding the bricks are identified as key stakeholders with the technical know-how to implement the project from materials that were accessible.