W/R: Gov’t’s rCOMSDEP engages Ellembelle communities on cooperative mining

The Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) has commenced a series of community engagements in the Western Region to sensitise traditional leaders and residents on the benefits of cooperative mining.
The outreach began with visits to Akropong, Bomoapelley, Anwia, Nkroful, and Esiama in the Ellembelle District, as part of the government’s broader strategy to curb illegal mining and ensure host communities derive direct and sustainable benefits from mineral resources.
Explaining the initiative, rCOMSDEP Coordinator, Engineer Frank Pedro Asare, said cooperative mining is designed to guarantee ownership and equitable benefit-sharing for communities.
''Under the scheme, revenues will be distributed to support a community development fund, a land reclamation fund, and a skills development and entrepreneurship fund.
This ensures that mining leaves behind long-term benefits rather than only short-term gains,” he stated.
Engineer Asare also pointed out the root causes of illegal mining, including the absence of proper leases and unsafe mining practices.
He stressed that the cooperative mining model excludes operations in forest reserves and river bodies to safeguard the environment.
He further emphasised the importance of community participation, noting that past initiatives suffered due to inadequate consultation.
“One of the challenges with community mining was the lack of dialogue.
Communities often resisted projects because they felt excluded.
rCOMSDEP is determined to avoid that by securing community buy-in from the start,” he explained.
Traditional leaders in all five communities welcomed the concept and urged the government to expedite its rollout.
They expressed optimism that the programme would create jobs for the youth, reduce illegal mining, and support local development.
Source: classfmonline.com/Cecil Mensah
Trending News
UE/R: Talensi miners accuse NDC gov't of betrayal over mining crackdowns
11:48Ghana International School marks 70 years of educational excellence
15:50Ketu North leaders strengthen ties with appointees to drive development
11:37TAGG calls for urgent procurement of modern presidential aircraft
13:15IGP interact with high-risk trained officers ahead of Akwatia by-election
10:27AMA launches energy efficiency campaign to cut costs and curb carbon footprint
15:29PAC orders Finance Minister to probe GRA over GH¢2.9m unrecovered funds
15:34Afenyo-Markin urges Asante students to harness their heritage for national development
06:42Eastern RCC holds refresher workshop for 74 local government officers ahead of PSC exams
12:42President Ruto hails Zoomlion’s bold waste solutions at Kenya DevCon2025
10:05