6 months Report on:

Mining Governance and Activism Project

Prepared and presented by SRAN

August 2023
Table of Contents

Introduction

Activities and Outputs

Financial and Administrative systems for SRAN

MWGs

Training Needs Assessment

SRAN and training Modules

Training Modules for Stakeholders and Communities

Other Activities

Conclusion
Introduction

Third World Network (TWN) has been supporting mining communities in the Upper East Region for a
couple of years now through advice, training and campaigning and advocacy. Through this support a
number of community organisations especially in the large scale mining area of Talensi, decided to
formalise themselves into the Savanna Research & Advocacy Network (SRAN) in order to co-ordinate
and support communities and organisations in mining areas.

Following these initial developments TWN agreed to support SRAN to undertake a pilot project into
mining communities in order to develop Mining Watch Groups (MWGs), support the development of
SRAN administrative and financial systems, work with IDEAS to develop needs assessment and training
modules to support the capacity of communities to represent themselves and ensure that they benefit
from the mining that is happening in their communities. Granted successful implementation of the pilot
programme and provided there are resources TWN to further support development work in mining
communities.

The report that follows is the result of work that has been undertaken so far. The report also includes
other activities undertaken by SRAN and its partners.

Activities and Outputs

Functional administrative accounting and reporting systems in place at SRAN

SRAN is the result of a number of groups principally in the Talensi area who decided that in order to
better support their communities a regional organisation in the Upper East Region be set up to co-
ordinate and support and advocate with mining communities in the region. The groups and community
leaders who formed the organisation has benefitted from a number of training and workshops organised
for them by TWN, Centre for Public Interest Law (CEPIL) and TAMA Universal Foundation. Also
Innovations Development Alternatives (IDEAS) based in Tamale was also supportive of the
development of SRAN.

Currently the SRAN board has 6 members, made up of Chair, Treasurer, IT, Project Officer and

Since its inception SRAN has series of meetings that has shaped and clarified the role of SRAN. SRAN is a
growing organisation and will incorporate others community leaders in other mining communities. SRAN
has also been instrumental in organising mining communities to take advantage and attend training and
workshops organised by TWN, CEPIL and TAMA.

SRAN operates from an office owned by the premises of one of its members that we pay a stipend
monthly for the use of the office.

SRAN does not have paid officers. If eventually we secure funding we shall employ a Co-ordinator or
Development Worker to manage the affairs of the organisation, develop our linkages with community
organisations and mining communities.
In additions to the work that is currently undertaken, SRAN is also supported by a three year small grant
to undertake stories in mining communities by Tranlsocal organisation. The support is through St Xavier
University in Canada and the moving person behind this is Prof Jonathan Langdon.

Through series of meetings and training workshops, TWN has set adopted financial system to guide the
organisation. It is attached as Appendix 1. The main focus of the financial system is how to handle
finances, withdrawals; accountability and how to prepare accounts. It does report on how finances are
reported.

We have also adopted Equal Opportunity Policy and Complaints Policy. As the organisation develops,
there are other policies that we are working on and will adopt. The policies will include Volunteer Policy,
Employment Contracts, etc.

The financial training workshop was provided by IDEAS – the name and dates to be inserted here.

MW CBOs, Tindanam and chiefs Associations Functional/Consolidated and their corresponding and
training needs identified.

Mining Watch Gropes (MWGs) is the key component of the pilot project. Currently, these groups are
being set up. Based on review of the project, we will have 7 MWGs in Talensi, 2 in Nabdam and 2 in
Bolga. Organisations operating in these areas have been tasked to support the formation of these
groups. IEAS provided a three workshop training concerning community entry for organisations who will
be undertaking community engagement in mining communities. TEMCIL is undertaking the work in
Talensi, Zanlerigu Watch group is undertaking the work in Nabdam and ---- is undertaking the work in
Bolga.

We briefly report on the work that has been undertaken in Zanlerigu that could serve as a model of
other communities.

Cardinal Mlandini Mining Company has mining concessions we believe in the whole of Upper East
Region. In 2017, they undertook mining exploration into Zanlerigu community, destroyed some
boreholes and created so much noise and pollution that the people had no alternative but to ask them
to leave. In 2023, they returned again without Community Entry and started digging holes for their
exploration. The community mobilised again and asked them to leave. This lead to issues of Regional
and District Security meetings where the community stood its grounds that they do not want to sacrifice
their village for mining activities. That they have nowhere to go to should in case gold is found in
commercial quantities is discovered and they are asked to leave.

It is the unity of this community that has ensured that up to this time, exploration is not undertaken by
Cardinal. The MWG here will play a critical role and we hope to follow how this issue will be progress..

On Friday, 28th July 2023, IDEAS through Zoom workshop took SRAN through data collection from the
communities to support the MWGs. This will be further information for the MWGs and SRAN to plan for
community entry into other areas.
Reports on the Training Needs Assessment of MW CBOs prepared.

A full report o MWGs will be presented in the next couple of months.

IDEAS have run trading workshops for SRAN and the network organisations from Talensi, Nabdam and
Bolga on mobilization and community entry. It provided support for the groups to enter into
communities and work with them on how to organise themselves to support their communities.
Following the establishment of then MWGs, there will be meetings to develop training needs
assessment. This will be done with IDEAS. The Training Programme on Capacity on Community
Animation and Mobilizaion for Action and Report Writing took place in Bolga from 19 th to 21st June 2023.

SRAN supported to design appropriate training modules and programmes for the community based
stakeholders group

As stated above this is being undertaken with IDEAS to develop the training modules and programmes
for the stakeholders groups. We have had some preliminary discussions with some of the stakeholders
on their needs and will finalise this for the end of project report.

Appropriate training modules and programmes designed for the trainings of the community based
stakeholder groups

Appropriate training modules and programmes will be designed for the community stakeholders that
are the community organisations or groups and the mining community communities. We in visualised
that for the community in the mining areas, these may include, the mining laws and their rights,
compensation and resettlement and post resettlement, community benefits from mining communities,
advocating and campaigning for their rights and how to deal with mining communities.

TWN also run a three days workshop in Accra on Outcome Harvesting of which 2 members of the Board
of SRAN attended.

Other Activities

It has not been smooth slaying for the project. It has its ups and down and more particularly with
divided communities with different interests. Apart from the general communities there have been
problems with our own organisation as to the direction of the project. There are problems of
mobilization straight alay and getting the communities to confront mining companies to leave some of
their benefits to communites.

Initially some of the communities were asked to provide budgets to TWN. When eventually TWN funded
the pilot project, the communities organisations believed that we used them to collect monies for sRAN
and not for them. It required a lot of discussions and proof to them that this is a pilot project and that
we did not collect money for them for ourselves.

In the mining communities there conflicting interests. They are as follows:

  Members of the communities want employment with mining companies. They have little
interest in organising for the benefit of the whole communities except on issues of employment
for themselves.
 There are lingering conflict between mining companies and people in mining communities as a
lot of personnel especially so-called skilled people are sourced from outside the region. The local
content in the real local areas is weak.
 The paramount chiefs are hostile to groups that they perceive will undermine their interests and
control. The celebrated case of the Tongrana is a clear example. We also have the issue of the
paramount chief of Nangodi who is for exploration in Zanlerigu as against the local people. This
is yet to be resolved.
 The local people or Ghanaians employed in these mining companies are hostile to advocacy
groups. They think we are taking bead from their mouths.
 Those engaged in mining companies including ordinary workers fear to organise and make
demands on mining companies to improve their conditions and the welfare of the communities
as a whole.
 Mining companies sow a seed of disunity in minding companies. They prefer to deal with chiefs
whom they can easily control.

SRAN has also supported workers in mining companies. Recently a miner died felt down and died
underground in the tillage of Shaanzi/Earl International. We worked with Edward Adetti to produced
reports on this and hopefully it may lead to better compensation for the bereaved family.

We are also working to locate the a mine from the same Earl International whose hand was choked off.
And another who had his fingers choked off to.

Conclusions

This is a preliminary report. We are working towards developing the MWGs and developing training
modules to support our stakeholders and mining communities.

We have difficulties in assessing lawyers when the need arises. We hope TWN and other agencies can
help us to connect with lawyers who are prepared to take over these cases on pro-bono basis.
The pictures showed the community meeting the Regional and District Security officers.