Accra: Friends of the Nation (FoN), a socio-environmental advocacy non-government organisation, has called on companies in the extractive industry to develop systems for effective project maintenance.
According to Ghana News Agency, such companies have control over projects they rolled out in their catchment communities, hence they should address the challenges.
Nana Efua Ewur, the Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator for FoN, disclosed this to the Ghana News Agency when her outfit and Send Ghana, an advocacy NGO, organised an exchange programme on how the extractive industry goes about its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects. The programme, held in Wassa Akyempim, brought together participants from the extractive industry and the cocoa sector.
She said the team undertook a learning visit to Gold Fields Ghana Limited (GFGL), Tarkwa Mine, AngloGold Ashanti Iduapriem Mine, and Ghana National Gas Company Limited. “When you look at all the companies we visited, there is a clear partnership between them and the assemblies, from needs assessment, planning, designing, and project implementation,” Nana Ewur stated. In addition to the assemblies, she indicated that there was strong engagement with the community, traditional leaders, and others.
Nana Ewur remarked, “I learned that when you go to the cocoa growing areas, companies could implement projects without consulting the assembly. One major lesson for the assembly is the need for them to collaborate with the companies.” FoN had observed cases where some companies lacked systems for maintaining community projects after implementation. At the GFGL, Tarkwa Mine, they learned some innovative practices on how projects handed over to the assembly, then to the community, were maintained. Nana Ewur said, “The Mine cited a nurse’s quarters as an example, where the residents contributed a small fee for maintenance of the facility. Another project they monitored was a water system, where the community members collected a small fee from users for maintenance.”
She urged other companies to adopt similar practices to safeguard the projects they established for communities in their operational areas. Ms. Eunice Adjei Mensah, from Send Ghana, said they have a programme called ‘Fair for All’ and it is advancing to the next stage. She noted that the project was made up of different NGOs, with each one working in a different area.
Ms. Adjei Mensah said, “Since the mining companies are doing well in their CSR projects, we decided to come and study their project implementation framework and strategies, so we can replicate them in our work.” She added, “We are working in the cocoa sector, and the License Cocoa Buying Companies (LBCs) are responsible for purchasing cocoa from farmers. I’m encouraging them to collaborate with the district assemblies to develop and implement CSR projects.” This coordination, she indicated, would help avoid duplication of projects, stressing, “Our sectors may differ, but the mining companies’ approach can help us improve upon our work.”
Ms. Adjei Mensah further added, “With the experience we have gained, let us champion these causes at our respective levels.” Ms. Christabel Akua Andoh, Social and Community Development Manager, Federated Commodities PLC, praised FoN and Send Ghana for the programme, emphasizing they were facing numerous challenges in the mining sector. The illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) menace, she lamented, had been a major problem, given its impact on the cocoa industry, adding, “it’s been beneficial exploring these issues together.”
She assured the organizers they would apply what they have learned, assess their shortfalls, conduct internal reviews, and develop effective strategies to enhance their operations.