By Erica Apeatua Addo, GNA
Tarkwa (W/R), June 10, GNA – The University of Derby, UK, in Collaboration with the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) has hosted the first research dissemination workshop in Tarkwa on an International Growth Centre funded research project, “Transition from galamsey to community gold mining: Unravelling the conditions for sustainability rural development in Ghana”.
Opening the session, Dr. Akuba Bezeba Yalley, a lecturer at the Mining Engineering Department of the UMaT and a Co-Principal Investigator of research project, said they observed that the community mining scheme commissioned from 2021 came with some objectives.
She explained that, as a research team, they recognized that although the scheme was operational, it was necessary to ascertain whether it had achieved its intended purpose and to identify key areas for policy and implementation reforms.
So, the research team secured funding from the International Growth Centre to conduct the research, which produced quite interesting findings to share, Dr. Yalley said.
She added “it’s important that, when conducting research of this nature, you bring together key stakeholders to validate the findings and possibly recommend solutions for the way forward”.
According to her, the purpose of the workshop was to present the findings, facilitate stakeholder validation, develop recommendations, and inform long-term policy and implementation reforms.
Associate Professor Andrews Owusu and Principal Investigator of the research project from the University of Derby, reiterated that they were there to present the key findings to miners, , regulators, academics, local and national mining associations, as well as industry players, and to solicit feedback on whether the evidence gathered would be useful as the government continued to roll out new community gold mining models.
He said “In effect, the evidence shows that the objectives set out by the community mining scheme policy have been partly achieved, except for environmental sustainability.
While there has been some improvement in environment safeguards, inadequate training, supervision, and political interference posed a threat to the success of the community-based gold mining scheme unless remedial actions are taken”.
In her welcoming address, Dr. Vivian Isabella Seshie urged researchers, policy makers, industry players, and students who attended the workshop to use the collaborative platform to share knowledge, challenge assumptions, and build sustainable solutions now and for the future.
Some stakeholders who spoke to the Ghana News Agency after the workshop said they were optimistic that if UMaT continued to hold such research-informed workshop, illegal mining activities would decline significantly over the next two to three years.
GNA
Edited by Justina Hilda Paaga /Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Erica Apeatua Addo