annexc - Newmont Mining Corporation

Annex C7 -- Socioeconomics Supplemental Information C7 - 4
� Government grants include funds from the District Assembly Common Fund, Ghana
Education Trust Fund, HIPC Funds and others.
� Internally generated funds sources include taxes, fees and fines, licenses, rents, money
from investments and business operations.
Table C7-1
Sources of Revenue for the Birim North District: 2002-2005 (in GH¢)
Source 2002 2003 2004 2005
Internally generated funds 42,510 58,650 144,637 168,675
Government grants 44,667 148,400 859,991 889,127
Total 87,178 207,051 1,004,629 1,057,802
Source: GRRL 2008
Although there has been a steady increase in internally generated funds since 2002,
problems that prevent the District from collecting revenues more efficiently include:
� Lack of vehicles,
� Residents are not aware that they need to pay taxes and
� Most of tax collectors are not equipped with current methods of revenue collection.
LAND TENURE DESCRIPTION
There are two main categories of land in Ghana – public or State lands and private lands. A
separate category of land that falls in between these categories is “vested land.” Vested land
refers to land with dual ownership where the legal interest is vested in the state and
managed by the Lands Commission on behalf of the stool/skin. The beneficiary or equitable
interest remains with the stool/skin. Thus, no grant of vested land can be made by the
stool/skin. All such transactions are made on their behalf by the state agency managing it
and revenue accrues to their benefit.
Public lands refer to those acquired by the Government through legislation, in the public
interest. Private lands comprise land held customarily in stools/skins for and on behalf of
the land owning communities, family/clan lands and all lands owned by individuals.
Families or individuals may acquire land by outright purchase or through lease over periods
of time - either 50 or 90 years. The Constitution prohibits freehold transactions in land. The
landless who have no money to purchase or lease land may have access to land through the
sharecropping ‘abunu/abusa’ system. In the ‘abunu’ system, the produce or revenue derived
from the sale of the produce is shared evenly between landowner and land user. In the
‘abusa’ system, the produce from the land or derived revenue is shared such that one-third
goes to the landowner and two-thirds to the land user (sharecropper). This is a common
practice determined through negotiation between the user and landlord and depends on the
type of crops planted.
Akyem Gold Mining Project November 2008 FINAL EIS