Choicenewsonline Your Choice Is Here
*Background*
Many in Ghana and across the world have witnessed how “galamsey” mining effect is destroying Water Bodies, Plants, Rivers, Foods, Animal and Human Lives and is a threat to virtually Anything and AnyOne who has life in them Now and those yet to be born in Ghana and beyond as these waters flow into other countries territory.
Governments have tried and used virtually all means to combat this menace, but still it has become an albatross hanging around the neck of governments.
We, after engaging Communities, Small scale Miners, who are into galamsey, as they have no Water and Plant Protection mechanism in place, and having done consultation with our Environment and Health Technical Team and Community Development Experts see, the largely top – down radical approach to fighting Galamsey, tried many times by Governments and, heavily invested with Military and all law enforcement agencies to stop the galamsey menace is not exhaustive, as the canker still exist with Water bodies, Plants and Humans lives still being destroyed on large scale. It is clear there is more to it, as Everyone is calling for depoliticizing this social and lives canker to enable sober reflection and engagement.
*Call for Stakeholders Action and Sustainable Solution Mapping*
It is about time, all rational and well meaning Ghanaians sit down and ponder, why ?
For Us, we believe the “How to” (approach ) in fighting the menace, needs further reflection, retrospective review, restructure and reengagement among all Stakeholders with focus on applying a Human – Centred but purposeful actionable measures towards sustainable alternate community – driven solutions.
There should be a bottom – Up Community and People Stakeholders engagement approach, with specific water recycling and treatment engineering systems on their lands that aims at protecting water, rivers and plants with strict limitations/ enforcement on Rivers / Forest reserve Mining and Land reclamation. That is pathetic towards Sustainable Mining. It may be costly but not costly for those who are able to buy the big machines and not costly compared to the many investments of all forms made by successive governments to fight it.
It is time, we approach matters with sober reflection, actionable intentional well meaning purpose towards sustainable alternate solutions backed by law through community engagement & community ownership.
We and Our Consultancy partners have a Sustainable Heath & Environment Protection Programme designed in this line, which if the Ministries, the Government of Ghana with the Community Mining Companies are ready to support, can be deployed to pilot, test and developed across to Protect Our Water Bodies, Plants,Lives and Safeguard Our Land Resources with Sustainable Mining Practices.
We have already launched an award recognition Programme to identify and reward, Communities with Individuals and Organisations employing Community sustainability Measures in Ghana dubbed “The Safer, Sustainable and Habitable Communities Award – 2024 /25. Any one who falls within the criteria can apply using this link or WhatsApp the contact below with details.
https://forms.gle/6oM2gVQaUFpv2qxA7
By : Michael Nsowah – Programmes Innovation Lead – PHG Foundation & Consultancy Partners
(Grassroot Communities Innovation Development Centre, Ghana – West Africa)
*Contact*
Message PHG Community Innovation Projects DevHub on WhatsApp. https://wa.me/233242029161
E mail – maduseinsowah@gmail.com, info@phgfoundationafrica.org
Copy : All Ghanaians, Environmental Protection Agencies, Ministries, Small Scale Mining Organizations, Community Leaders and Government,
All Media houses and platforms
