The US Embassy in Ghana is collaborating with the University of Mines and Technology (UMat) as an implementing partner to build the capacities of key stakeholders fighting the menace of illegal mining in the country.

Through a training program, they have teamed up to work closely with these stakeholders, in the fight against the destruction of Ghana's environment.

They are also using the training program to promote sustainable mining, livelihood programs, and a healthy environment for social and economic development.

They've laid a solid foundation through the training program for these key stakeholders to work within their respective zones to deliver the right mechanism necessary to tackle the growing phenomenon of illegal mining in West African countries.

In line with this, a three-day workshop was organized in Takoradi in the Western Region on Thursday, October 12, 2023, and ended on Saturday, October 14, 2023.

The training, primarily, was used to sharpen the skills of activists and to empower them to continue to wage relentless war against environmental degradation and pollution in the country.

The training workshop, dubbed, "Tech-Camp", formed part of activities being executed to improve activism at the local level, especially in affected communities hosting illegal mining activities.

The ultimate objective, according to facilitators of the capacity building workshop, is to wage serious war against the growing environmental degradation, pollution of water bodies, and air quality in Ghana.

The latest campaign follows incessant activities being carried out by illegal miners across the country despite the ban, series of warnings, arrests, and prosecution of perpetrators.

At the opening session of the workshop, the Press Attaché of the US Embassy in Accra, Ghana, Kevin J. Brosnahan, charged participants to play their respective roles in stemming the growing tide of illegal mining in Ghana.

"The outcome, we see from this meeting is empowerment, empowerment of each of you with new tools, new contacts, a new network, and new approaches to addressing illegal mining".

"Illegal mining is one of the most challenging and serious threats to Ghana's environment, it impacts each of you and threatens your water supply, your food, and your livelihood", he said.

Without improvement, Ghana will become a net importer of water, and lands could become infertile for Agricultural use, and yet is not an easy issue to solve".

"Finding a long-term sustainable solution would require innovative ideas, it would require contributions from national and local governments, and mining companies. And Associations must be part of the solution and the ingenuity must come from NGOs, academics, entrepreneurs, innovators, and local communities.

That's why we have gathered fifty (50) Ghanaian participants from diverse fields for this Tech Camp. You represent the public and private sectors in mining, minerals, water resources, and public health. You come from environmental organizations, academia, and the media. Look around you, introduce yourselves, you are the answer", explained.

Vice Chancellor of the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT), Professor Richard Amankwah, explained to the selected activists to do well and intensify the campaign against illegal mining activities in the country.

He emphasized that they must remain steadfast, active, proactive, and productive.

"If we start the conversation about small-scale mining, we have the good, we have the bad, and we have the ugly," he said.

On literature about the sector, he said "So many books, chapters, and papers have been written about the industry, and if you look at it critically, about 80 % of all newspaper reportage is negative about small-scale mining".

With regards to attempts being made to improve the sector, he said, "Here, the conversation goes on, and I believe that many of these meetings create avenues for improvement and some of them have been applied with some amount of success whilst others are still going through several stages of refinement, and for me, the small scale mining industry is a necessary industry, especially having in mind that in Ghana there are so many pockets of rich reserves that have never been mined at the large scale level, and therefore, it makes small scale mining a very important one especially as it has contributed a lot to local economic development in the communities where these activities take place".

"If we look at it critically, it has created jobs for many people. It has built communities and also individuals and created local entrepreneurs.

The negative side still exists, and I believe that that is why this meeting is very important. I am happy about finding technology solutions, because, that is the key to the survival of the industry", he said.