Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) sector are calling for a comprehensive national mining policy through democratic and participatory process that would be effectively used by citizens and most especially the media to advocate for sustainable mining practises.
The CSOs observed that, the absence of a comprehensive mining policy suggests inadequate articulation of national aspirations and principles for mining.
In a ten-page communiqué issued at the second annual CSO review of the NRE sector in Ghana organised by the Kasa Initiative with support from DANIDA, CARE and ICCO in Accra recently, participants also registered their stiff stands against mining in forest reserves and protected areas (sacred groves).
The communiqué further stressed that there should be clear policy backed by legislation for a particular portion of Ghana’s landmass to be under permanent protection for its ecological significance.
Additionally, it advocated that the media should be mainstreamed and resourced with human and financial resources so that they could report effectively on Natural Resources and Environmental Governance (NREG) activities, saying “An NREG Media Centre should be created to serve as resource pool for media personnel and a National Media Awards should be instituted to encourage reportage on NREG issues”.
It further called for the development and implementation of a national communication and media strategy on NREG. “For a start, the state owned media should as a matter of policy, develop and implement at least, weekly programs on strategic natural resources and environment issues”.
The communiqué stated that social, environmental, cultural, political and economic cost associated with any mining projects should be considered or internalised in determination of the value, and cost-benefits analysis of such mining interventions.
The framework and administration of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), it noted should be reviewed to improve accountability of mining companies and state institutions as well as the meaningful participation of the public, especially the communities and individuals affected by the proposed projects.
The communiqué advised that, stability agreements in the extractive sector should be abolished; and government should ensure that development agreements that it signs with companies do not violate the laws and regulations on mining in the country.
On the oil and gas sector, the communiqué endorsed all the issues raised by the civil society platform on Oil and Gas in the report ‘Ghana’s Oil Boom: A Readiness Report Card, April 2011’, adding, “We entreat the relevant government agencies and other stakeholders including parliament, donors, private sector, civil society and among others to address the issues in that report”.
However, it urged government to suspend signing further agreements with oil and gas companies until after the passage of the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Bill into Law. “We also call on Parliament and the Ministries in-charge to accelerate action on the Local Content Bill; Review of Petroleum Income Tax Law; Regulations and Operationalization of Petroleum Funds; National Gas Commercialization Policy and Gas Master Plan”, the communiqué emphasised.
Participants at the program were also concerned about the very slow pace of developing the National Climate Change Policy Framework (NCCPF), calling for its early completion since this will be a pillar of climate change response action and mainstreaming concerns.
Meanwhile, they appealed to government to start broader consultations to gather citizens’ inputs on Ghana’s position on Climate Change as part of preparations for COP 17 in Durban, South Africa this year. Adding that, government’s priority should be more on local adaptation mechanisms and not too much of the mitigation agendas being pushed by some developed countries.
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