President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has directed that $5 million from the $6 million fine slapped on Maxam Ghana Limited over its role in the fatal explosion at Appiatse should be committed to the Appiatse Support Fund.
Maxam after paying the $1 Million is expected to pay the rest of the amount over a period of 18 months.
The $5 million, according to a statement signed by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Jinapor will be donated to the Appiate Support Fund to support its reconstruction.
“Accordingly, I have directed the Minerals Commission to ensure that the said Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) is paid to Appiatse Support Fund, in accordance with the agreed terms of payment,” a portion of the statement said.
The government earlier imposed a fine of $6 million on Maxam Ghana Limited, the company at the centre of an explosion that killed some 13 people and destroyed an entire community in the Prestea Huni-Valley Municipality of the Western Region.
According to an earlier press statement issued by the Minister, the amount was made up of a $1 million fine and $5 million, which the company agreed with the Ministry, after extensive discussions, to pay to the government.
The statement said the fine was imposed after the report of the three-member committee constituted by the Minister to undertake independent investigations into the matter affirmed some regulatory breaches on the part of the company, in the manufacture, storage, and transportation of explosives for mining and other civil works.
The Minister also set out fourteen (14) conditions to be met by the company before the restoration of its operating permit.
The measures included a ban on the transportation of Ammonium Nitrate and Fuel Oil (ANFO) on a public road to a mine or civil work site unless expressly permitted by the Chief Inspector of Mines.
Other measures included explosives being guarded by two escort vehicles, one in front and one at the back, both having sirens to warn people about the explosives.
