The Ghana Chamber of Mines, in collaboration with United Nations Global Compact, has commissioned a study aimed at promoting sustainable development in the mining communities.
It is also targetted at prompting mining companies to pursue the right linkages between various elements of any alternative livelihood project development and help reduce communities’ economic dependence on the mines, making them self-sustaining after mine closure.
The study, dubbed ‘Integrated Alternative Livelihoods Framework for Mining Communities’, surveyed current alternative livelihood practices among selected mining companies in the country.
The study covered six thematic areas, including: developing local economy based on the presence of mining companies; promoting rural private sector by supporting micro, small to medium enterprises; and regulatory reforms on mining policies that would formalise and strengthen the corporate social responsibility agenda.
The rest are education and advocacy of alternative livelihood programmes by mining companies; monitoring and evaluation of alternative livelihood programmes; and marketing of alternative livelihood projects, goods and services.
It also solicited views of key stakeholders involved in delivering sustainable alternative livelihood programmes, and proposed a common framework for developing alternative livelihood projects in mining communities based on best international practices.
Dr. Joyce Aryee, Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, speaking at a validation workshop on the study in Accra, said the initiative underscored the Chamber’s quest to promote sustainable development in mining communities.
Dr. Aryee said: “The Chamber and the UN Global Compact sponsored this research to take a wider approach from previous alternative livelihood activities, rather than just considering how existing alternative livelihood systems could be harmonised.
“Available social data showed that it would be prudent for mining companies to select their alternative livelihood programmes based on a common framework, while staying within their own corporate requirements to achieve optimal results.”
Dr. Aryee said further: “We recommend that all stakeholders involved in the delivery of alternative livelihood programmes initiate an all-inclusive effort to reverse the escalating trend toward poor planning, design, implementation and monitoring of alternative livelihood programmes in the mining communities.”
Mr. Sam William Quaye, Director of SWQ Consulting Limited - one of the two firms undertaking the study on behalf of the Chamber and the UN Global Compact - said the proposed alternative livelihood framework focuses on core objectives at the community level relating to non-mining economic activities, land access management, quality of life and diversification of income generation, taking into account the various situations pertaining to individual mining companies.
The validation workshop was attended by representatives of stakeholders in the mining sector, including the Minerals Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Lands Commission, UN Global Compact, the Chamber, mining companies, mining communities, and civil society.
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