By Yussif Ibhaim
Kumasi, Sept. 17, GNA – ActionAid Ghana, has launched a 24-month project to strengthen the voice and collective power of mining-affected communities to participate meaningfully in decisions affecting their land, livelihoods, environment and natural resources.
The project, dubbed ‘Uplifting the Voices of Mining Communities’ (VOICES), is funded by Comic Relief, and will be implemented in four mining-affected areas in Ghana – Mfantseman, Ahafo Ano South, Asutifi North and Talensi.
It seeks to empower communities to understand their rights, monitor the environmental and social impacts of mining, generate evidence and engage government institutions and other duty bearers on appropriate solutions.
Mr John Nkaw, the Country Director of ActionAid Ghana, launching the project in Kumasi, said communities were not merely beneficiaries of development but rights-holders, knowledge holders and agents of change.
He said the people living on the land, depending on water resources and whose livelihoods were affected by mining, possessed valuable knowledge and lived experiences that must inform decisions on mineral governance.
Mr Nkaw said although Ghana’s mining sector remained an important pillar of the economy, contributing significantly to employment, foreign exchange earnings and public revenue, mining-affected communities continued to face challenges including degraded land, polluted water bodies, disrupted livelihoods, displacement and concerns around labour and human rights.
He, therefore, said discussions on mining should go beyond production, exports and economic growth to include people, rights, environmental protection and justice.
The Country Director said the VOICES Project would move communities from being primarily recipients of information to becoming active participants, evidence producers and advocates for change.
Through the project, ActionAid Ghana would strengthen citizen awareness and participation in mineral governance, support community-based monitoring, generate evidence and create platforms for constructive engagement between communities, duty bearers and other stakeholders.
Mr Nkaw further called on the government to revisit the establishment and operationalisation of district mining committees, as prescribed by law, to facilitate greater community involvement in the management of the mining sector.
He also urged the Ghana Chamber of Mines to support efforts to integrate mining companies into local economies through the mining procurement list as part of the government’s local content and indigenisation policy.
Mr Akuka Yakubu, the Project Lead, ActionAid Ghana, said the project would also focus on women and young people, who must be placed at the centre of discussions on the future of Ghana’s mineral resources.
He said 80 women leaders and youth representatives would be trained in areas including extractive-sector governance, climate-resilient livelihoods, advocacy, campaigning and artistic activism.
Four Community-Based Monitoring Committees would also be established and strengthened to equip community members and journalists to document environmental, social, labour and human rights concerns.
Mr Yakubu said the ultimate objective was to contribute to a more just and accountable mineral governance system in which the voices and experiences of mining-affected communities were recognised in decision-making.
GNA
Edited by Kwabia Owusu-Mensah/ Christabel Addo
Reporter: Yussif Ibrahim