Communities in Ghana’s mining regions are calling for greater investment in skills development to enable local residents to benefit from employment opportunities in the country’s extractive sector.
The concerns were raised during a subnational peer exchange organized by the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GHEITI) under the global Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), bringing together representatives from mining districts including Prestea, Bogoso, Obuasi, Ewoyaa and Ellembelle.
Participants said that while host communities often demand employment opportunities from mining and oil companies, many local people do not possess the technical and vocational skills required to fill available positions.
They argued that skills development programs should be introduced well before mining projects begin, allowing residents to prepare for the jobs and business opportunities created by the extractive industry.
William Enenchie Noah of the Anglophone Africa Office of EITI said the concerns raised reflect a broader challenge facing extractive communities across Africa.
According to him, governments, mining companies and development partners must invest in building local capacity before projects commence to ensure host communities are not left behind.
He noted that communities stressed that “it is not just enough to request for employment” if local people do not have the skills required to fill available positions. He added that one of the key lessons from the engagements was that “the skills need to be developed even before the mines come” so host communities are adequately prepared to benefit when mining projects begin.
Beyond employment, discussions also focused on improving transparency and accountability in the management of revenues generated from Ghana’s extractive sector.
Senior Policy Officer at EITI, Sandra Milena Rojas, said taking EITI engagements to the community level creates an opportunity for mining companies to disclose payments made to district assemblies, explain their social investments and respond directly to concerns raised by host communities.
She noted that the engagements also empower citizens to track how mining revenues are utilised and demand accountability for development projects financed through extractive resources.
She explained that while payment information is disclosed nationally, it is often not accessible at the local level.
According to her, it is important to “show communities how much they pay” and how much revenue is transferred to sub-national governments.
She added that stakeholders must also focus on “how this money is being spent” and whether communities living in mining areas are truly benefiting from extractive revenues through collaboration among government, companies and civil society.
The Chief of Bogoso, Osabarima Akwasi Somprey II, praised GHEITI for organising the peer exchange, describing it as an important platform for stakeholders to share experiences, learn from one another and identify practical solutions to challenges confronting mining communities.
By Francoise Kpogno
