Dr Steve Manteaw, Co-Chair of the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GHEITI), has urged implementers of the VOICES Project to collaborate with established institutions to sustain the structures and interventions created after the project’s two-year lifespan.
He said building new structures without linking them to institutions with existing systems, experience and networks could undermine the sustainability of the project once its implementation period ended.
Dr Manteaw made the call at the launch of the VOICES Project by ActionAid Ghana in Kumasi, aimed at strengthening the participation of mining communities in environmental protection and mineral governance.
He said the project implementers should identify and work closely with institutions that had been operating in similar areas for many years, to enable such institutions to take ownership of the structures and initiatives established under the project.
“I want to urge the programme implementers because this programme is planned to take two years. After two years, when you leave, the structures you build now will collapse if nobody is using them,” he said.
Dr Manteaw said collaboration with longstanding institutions would create the opportunity for the structures developed under the project to be integrated into existing systems and continue to function beyond the project period.
He noted that the project was expected to establish structures in additional mining communities, adding that linking those structures to credible and established institutions could enhance their sustainability.
Mr John Nkaw, the Country Director of ActionAid Ghana, said the VOICES Project recognised that the impacts of mining were not experienced equally by all members of mining communities.
He said women and young people were therefore being placed at the centre of discussions on the future of Ghana’s mineral resources and their implications for livelihoods and the environment.
Mr Nkaw said the project would train about 80 women leaders and 80 youth representatives in extractive sector governance, climate-resilient livelihoods, advocacy and campaigning, as well as artistic activism.
He said the use of artistic activism, including music and cultural expressions, would help communities draw attention to the environmental and social impacts of extractive activities.
The project, he said, sought to promote community participation in mineral governance, sustainable development and efforts to address the environmental impacts of mining and climate change.
The VOICES Project is being implemented four districts, including the Mfantseman, Ahafo Ano South, Asutifi North and Talensi with the broader objective of strengthening the capacity of affected communities to participate meaningfully in decisions concerning mining, environmental protection and mineral resource governance.
Mr Nkaw called on stakeholders participating in the project to engage in constructive discussions and work collectively towards promoting sustainable development and addressing the adverse environmental effects associated with extractive activities.
He said meaningful participation of women, young people and affected communities was essential to ensuring that Ghana’s mineral resources contributed to sustainable economic development while protecting the environment and community livelihoods.
GNA
