Wacam has supported mining communities in Ahafo and Western Regions with training in ensuring transparency and participation in the use of mineral revenues at the district level.
The participants numbering about 30 were drawn from mining communities in Asutifi North, Ahafo Region, and Tarkwa Nsuaem and Prestea-Huni-Valley in the Western Region.
The three-day training (from Tuesday, May 23 – Friday, May 26, 2023), organised by Wacam, in partnership with OSIWA, in Tema also sensitised the participants on their fundamental human rights and opportunities for community participation in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).
The beneficiaries, besides receiving education on fundamental human rights and how to assert them, were educated on the opportunities for community participation in the EITI.
In a presentation dubbed: “Exploring the Opportunities for Community Participation in EITI Processes to Improve Conditions of Frontline Communities,” the Associate Executive Director of Wacam, Mrs. Hannah Owusu-Koranteng, said the active involvement of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in EITI reports was crucial.
This, she said, will ensure ‘greater responsibility’ in EITI reports.
According to her, the EITI is aimed at promoting transparency and accountability in the management of the country’s oil, gas and mineral resources.
She, however, indicated that natural resource-endowed countries were saddled with resource cures, hence added that “transparency and accountability are important elements for promoting good governance, democracy and reducing corruption in resource rich countries.”
In this regard, she admonished the participants to keep abreast of EITI reports.
Continuing, Owusu-Koranteng said EITI reports contribute to active citizenship, reduce conflicts around natural resources extraction, promote accountability and transparency among others.
Transparency goes beyond financial reporting and ten years of EITI requires that we develop progressive strategies to move to full disclosure along the value chain and expand and the scope of the reports to reflect,” she explained.
For his part, the Technical Director of Wacam, Kwaku Afari, who is a Lawyer, admonished the participants to be interested in the utilisation of the Mineral Development Fund (MDF) in their communities.
While admitting that their interest in the fund will ensure accountability, he added that it will also enable them to make a positive impact in the use of the fund in their communities.
He sensitised the participants on their fundamental human rights and how they could be safeguarded, especially in mining communities.
According to him, every right comes with a responsibility, stating that “human rights are entitlements or claims.”
A beneficiary, Seidu Inusa, a resident of Ayanfuri in the Central Region, expressed appreciation to the organisers, stressing that the training has been a “fascinating eye-opener” to him on his rights and responsibilities as a citizen.
“I am now very abreast of my fundamental human rights, responsibilities and what actions to take at any given time when I see my rights are being infringed upon,” he said.
Another participant, Ibrahim Ekorbo Junior from Jomoro in the Western Region, commended Wacam and OSIWA for the training.
“…with this training, I now know a lot of my fundamental human rights and how to protect them in my day to day activities,” he said.
Wacam is a community based human rights and environmental mining advocacy non-governmental organisation (NGO) with a focus on community mobilisation, organisation and rights-based education for empowerment.