Community Mining Programme is a key solution but

If the media could police this policy of community mining very well, this could be a sustainable solution to the problem of Galamsey. It could contribute to the 

•  Minimize the destruction of our environment and ensure reclamation,
• Maximization of returns for Ghana & Ghanaians, the citizens, the chiefs, communities, and landowners
• Introduce a lot more transparency and accountability
• Give incentives to the citizens in those mining communities to police the environment

This is one of the key proposals of the MMIP and which the Media Coalition Against Galamsey is pushing for as a key solution to the #StopGalamsey project. Is the Community Mining Programme as is being proposed in this letter integrated into an overall strategy. It just might but I do not6 know, should I know as a citizen and not a spectator yes. So why?

The media should be asking for the details of this initiative. The devil is in the details and that is what has not worked very well us so far.

We have several initiatives named and listed but what have become of all of them? The implementations have been fraught with a lot of challenges and there is very little information about them. There is a lack of transparency and openness of the process. This #StopGalamsey fight should have been based on the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) – a global standard for improving transparency and accountability that is used in the oil, gas and mining sectors. Definitely Artisanal and Small Scale mining is part of mining. But no the IMCIM is running a closed system which has not helped.

The question I ask is what is the communication strategy behind all of these initiatives. Is there a strategy paper for the Roadmap of the IMCIM? I saw the draft MMIP document, it will be great if the IMCIM has a policy paper that they will share so all of us including the media could also follow what they are doing and then be able to contribute to it. We do not want to be spectators, we shall be citizens.

The MCAG has pointed it out to the IMCIM on several occasions about the need to have a clear communication strategy for the fight. But nothing has changed and we still have not seen the communication plan underpinning the overall strategy to end the destruction of Ghana through mining.

We need the details of this initiative beyond those listed in this letter. Currently, it is difficult to know whether the other initiatives that have been rolled out have been successful or not. How do we judge if this is working or not? Mr. President, most Ghanaians think that the #StopGalamsey war is failing; thank God it is a war, so we can win some battles and still win the war. We need to resuscitate it and the time to do it is now. The media has also dropped the ball and have taken their eyes off the ball and need to refocus on this existential threat.  This is a good opportunity but we cannot do it the way we have done all the IMCIM projects so far.

How are the IMCIM carrying the communities along:

• How are they ensuring that a few people in the community do not highjack the initiatives?
• Who qualifies to mine in these community mines,
• What are the qualification criteria for participating in the programme,
• What is the responsibility of those involved,
• What is the sharing of the revenue model, etc?

There are a lot of questions that the media should be asking and the IMCIM should craft a communication strategy and carry the people along. I will say again that let us not surrender this #StopGalamsey war on the altar of partisan politics. We all need to get involved in this fight to save Ghana. Let’s note that the Minister of MEST says we will need over $29 billion to reclaim the lands that have been destroyed. Can we say we have raised $29 billion from the gold we have mined? I am asking academia to help us with resolving this question, has mining the way we have done it been beneficial to us as a people: Total Benefits of Mining – Total Cost of Mining = x, is x>0 of x<0?