Wacam, in collaboration with Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL), has organised a three-day training workshop on paralegal skills and mining regulations to empower youth and women in mining communities across the country.
The event, part of activities under the 3-year European Union (EU)-funded Building Resilient and Active Communities in Extractive Landscapes in Ghana (BRACE) project, highlights the EU’s commitment to strengthening governance and human rights in the extractive sector.
The BRACE project is implemented in Ghana by A Rocha Ghana, Nature and Development Foundation (NDF) and Wacam.
The training event, held in Kumasi, Ashanti Region, brought together approximately 60 participants from the extractive communities in Eastern, Ashanti, Ahafo, Western, and Western North Regions.
It aimed to equip participants with the requisite legal knowledge and skills to effectively address injustice and abuse, promoting empowerment and capacity building in the extractive sector.
Additionally, it sought to enhance their ability to provide legal guidance, mobilise their communities, and protect their rights, ultimately promoting a culture of justice and advocacy.
Facilitated by the Executive Director of CEPIL, Lawyer Augustine Niber, the training covered topics such as understanding the work of a paralegal, laws governing mining in Ghana, and compensation and resettlement processes.
Niber explained that a paralegal is an individual who is educated, trained and equipped with basic knowledge; and skills in the law to provide legal and other assistance to other communities.
He said a paralegal must have basic knowledge of the substantive law and procedures involved in enforcing the law in the area of human rights.
Though paralegals are expected to provide basic legal advice to the communities in which they live or operate, he cautioned that they are not lawyers.
Paralegals are to carry out public education programmes focusing on the law and the basic rights of their communities by explaining basic legal issues; distributing of basic legal materials to their community members; organising workshops to train community members of their rights; and serving as resource persons,” the CEPIL Boss noted.
He added that paralegals are required to conduct human rights monitoring; track human rights violations in their communities; follow up on cases handled in court, or by human rights activists or institutions.
Regarding the laws governing mining in Ghana, Niber explained that a company must undergo a series of processes before being granted a mining lease.
He emphasised that this included first obtaining a reconnaissance license, followed by a prospecting license, highlighting the rigorous steps required for legal mining operations in the country.
In a presentation on Mining and Development, the Associate Executive Director of Wacam, Mrs. Hannah Owusu-Koranteng, emphasised the importance of understanding one’s heritage and roots.
She encouraged the participants to appreciate their origins, not only to value life but also to recognise their responsibility to protect the environment and their communities.
By knowing where they come from, they can better navigate the complexities of mining and development, making informed decisions that benefit their communities and the environment, she pointed out.
According to her, it was regrettable that development has become synonymous with the exploitation of poor countries’ resources, all in the name of poverty reduction.
She lamented that such development agendas have led to the destruction of community livelihoods, environmental degradation, and the erosion of socio-cultural systems, ultimately resulting in the loss of indigenous knowledge that has been tried and tested.
Wacam’s Technical Director, Lawyer Kwaku Afari, took the participants through the Minerals and Mining (Compensation and Resettlement) Regulations, 2012 (L.I. 2157).
According to him, these regulations ensure that the rights of affected parties are protected and that they receive fair and adequate compensation for land acquired or affected by mining operations.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Wacam’s Executive Director, Daniel Owusu-Koranteng, highlighted the significance of equipping mining communities with knowledge of the Minerals and Mining Act 703 of 2006 and other pertinent mining regulations.
He said this knowledge empowerment was crucial for communities to assert their rights, demand transparency and accountability from mining companies and regulators, and take control of their own development.
He urged the paralegal trainees to share their newfound knowledge with their communities, stressing that empowering others was essential.
In a remark, the Deputy National Director-Operations of A Rocha Ghana, Darly Bossu, commended Wacam and CEPIL for successfully organising the training, and advised the participants to exercise caution and wisdom in their role as paralegals in their communities.
The Operations Director at NDF, Glen Asomaning, cautioned the participants against allowing financial influences to compromise their integrity and effectiveness as paralegals.
The training is the first of three paralegal modules planned for the participants, and it marks an important step in building resilience in extractive communities in Ghana.
