Weak Monitoring Systems Identified as Key Contributor to Environmental Issues, Says Prof Amoatey.

Accra: Professor Charles Amoatey, Director of GIMPA Training and Consulting, has urged authorities to enhance their monitoring systems to ensure compliance with environmental standards in national projects. "One of the main challenges we face has been with compliance. We have very weak monitoring and evaluation skills to ensure compliance with environmental risk issues," he stated at a six-day training course on environmental and social risk management in Accra.According to Ghana News Agency, the course, titled Essentials of Environmental and Social Risk Management (ESRM), aims to boost the capacities of environmental experts to manage infrastructure projects both in Ghana and across sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative brought together 30 environmental practitioners from Ghana to enhance their ability to handle environmental and social risk issues. The programme was organised in collaboration with the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), the Regional Transport Research and Educati on Centre of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and the World Bank Group.Prof Amoatey emphasized the need for African leaders to improve systems to address environmental and social risk challenges effectively. Participants are expected to learn how to integrate environmental and social risk management into the design and implementation of projects. The programme, now in its sixth cohort, has graduated over 200 participants who are reportedly making a positive impact in their respective countries.He expressed concern over the management of development processes in the country, citing illegal mining as an indicator of institutional weaknesses in monitoring and ensuring compliance with environmental issues. The training, he highlighted, aims not only to enhance technical competencies but also to promote policies addressing environmental challenges in various countries.Professor Helen Essandoh, Director of the Regional Transport Research and Education Centre at KNUST, noted that sin ce its inception in November 2022, the course has built the capacities of participants from countries including Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Uganda, and Nigeria. She stressed the importance of the training, given the social and environmental issues that accompany the development of African nations, potentially affecting project implementation and sustainability.The course covers topics such as occupational health and safety, procurement, social issues like gender, and land acquisition. Prof Essandoh highlighted the course's commitment to fostering responsible, sustainable practices, which are essential for the success and longevity of any organisation or community initiative. She encouraged participants to fully engage in the training and make a meaningful impact in their respective fields. Participants expressed optimism about gaining new insights to enhance the environmental and social sectors.