Put women and youth at the centre of mineral resource governance — ActionAid
ActionAid Ghana has called for a fundamental shift in natural resource management, insisting that women and young people must be placed at the core of all decisions regarding the governance of Ghana’s mineral wealth.
ActionAid Ghana has called for a significant shift in how natural resources, specifically minerals, are managed in the country, emphasizing the need to prioritize women and young people in all decisions related to the governance of these resources. In a recent regional consultation in Goaso, Kwame Afram Denkyira, the Programme Manager for ActionAid Ghana in the Ahafo, Bono, and Bono East regions, highlighted that host communities suffer disproportionately from the environmental and economic impacts of mining.
Therefore, he argued, it is crucial to ensure that women and young people are central to discussions about the future of Ghana’s mineral resources. This call to action is part of the Uplifting the Voices of Mining Communities (VOICES) project, a two-year initiative funded by Comic Relief and implemented across Ghana, Malawi, and Senegal.
In Ghana, the project specifically targets four heavily impacted mining districts: Asutifi North, Mfantseman, Ahafo Ano South, and Talensi. Through various strategies including citizen education, artistic activism, and community-led research, ActionAid aims to empower local communities to document and advocate against environmental abuses, labor issues, and human rights violations.
With mineral production accounting for 9.5% of Ghana’s GDP and mineral exports reaching 11.9 billion dollars in 2024, primarily driven by gold, the importance of inclusive governance in the mining sector cannot be overstated.
Brief written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
