Wacam  Organises Capacity  Building  Workshop  For Mining Communities In Upper Denkyira West

Wacam has organized a two-day training on human rights for communities at Bogoso in the Western Region for communities in the Upper Denkyira West, Central Region who were being affected by the operations of Perseus Mining Ghana Limited (PMGL).

The workshop brought together about 35 people from mining communities including Breman, Akrofuom, and Ayanfuri all in the Upper Denkyira West of the Central Region.

It was aimed at augmenting the capacity of the participating communities who were being affected by PMGL’s operations, and also using the knowledge acquired to safeguard their rights and properties.

Topics covered on an opening day were Mining and Development; The Implications on Mining Communities, Review of Mineral and Mining Act, 2006, Act 703, and The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Process in Ghana and Community Rights and Responsibilities.

The second day focused on Operationalising the Free Prior Informed Consent in Ghana, Wacam’s Advocacy, Community Actions Strategy, and Mining and Associated Health Concerns in Mining Communities.
       
The Associate Executive Directive of Wacam, Mrs. Hannah Owusu-Koranteng, who opened the workshop on Thursday, April 21, 2022, with a presentation on the topic ‘Who Are We and What Do We Want to Achieve,’ entreated the participants to use the knowledge acquired to protect their rights and properties.

She said it was important that mining communities stand firm and defend what rightfully belonged to them.

However, she lamented that mining in Ghana since the colonial era has been one of the struggles for the mining communities, adding that “mining has turned into a development dispute.”

She said surface mining which is done by the mining most of the mining companies in the country has no linkages with other sectors, stating that the practice has been characterized by land-use conflicts, destruction of cultural sites, loss of biodiversity, and human rights abuses among others.

Mrs. Owusu-Koranteng reiterated that the inherent gaps in the Minerals and Mining Act 206 Act (703) were worrying.

Buttressing her point, she said, for instance, that section 3 of the Minerals and Mining Act 206 (Act 703) was not in conformity with provisions in the National Land Policy developed by the Ministry of the Lands and Forestry in 1999.

And even though Section 13(1) of the Minerals and Making Act makes it clear the Minister shall within 60 days on receipt of a recommendation from the Commission make a decision and notify the applicant in writing, she stressed that this notice should not only be given after the application has been approved but also after the license has been given.

On the part of the participants, they overwhelmingly expressed gratitude to Wacam for the opportunity to participate in the workshop.