Purpose-Driven Profit: Creating Value Through Sustainability and Impact

Small scale mining may be another example of a blessing turning into a curse. Illegal mining popularly known as ‘galamsey” has blighted our environment. Unfortunately, the discourse is as usual about punishment, rather than a root cause analysis.

None of the thousands of young men who currently perform illegal mining aka “Galamsey” wake up every morning with the sole purpose of destroying the environment.

?They risk their lives daily in perilous conditions to feed and care for their families and loved ones. So, any solution needs to go deeper than simple punishment since this deprives them of their livelihood.

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?…. and maybe – just maybe there maybe a better way

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The Songor Lagoon, a coastal lagoon near Ada in the east of our country; was designated as Ramsar wetland site of international importance. Among several other important functions, it acts as habitat and/or breeding ground for several notable species.

The Songor Lagoon is also the biggest natural salt mining area in Ghana. For many years, miners from all over the country and beyond came to mine aka pan for salt. Unsustainable mining methods popularly referred to Atsiakpo has had a negative impact on the ecosystem affecting the flora and fauna of the area. The lagoon became a desert……simply because “miners” adopted “the Atsiakpo technique in order to make an income for their families.

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To reverse the environmental impact associated with the Atsiakpo salt mining technique, A private company acquired the rights to mine salt and installed pumps from the sea into the lagoon restoring the waters, the wetlands and reducing the environmental impact associated with the unsustainable salt mining.

What was also different is that realizing that the small-scale miners saw the salt as their traditional rights, the company established community based mini lagoons aka “pans” for the local communities to have their own area to mine. The company acts as an off taker and has established community programs to build schools, clinics, boreholes, and other social amenities for the community. The environment is restored, the birds are back, and poverty is being slowly eradicated.

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Some of the sustainable initiatives the company embarked to improve the standard of living of the inhabitants of Ada includes:

1. Offering interest-free loans to about 3,000 women entrepreneurs, distributing GHC 4,000,000 to stimulate local economic activity.

2. Protecting Biodiversity and Rebuilding Ecosystems (SDG 13 & 15): Environmental projects include planting 270 mangroves and 400 cassia trees to revitalize the lagoon area, with plans for 2,000 mangrove seedlings.

3. Enhancing Health and Sanitation (SDG 3 & 6): Supplies daily clean water supplies to 16 surrounding communities, benefiting areas like Adjumanikope, Lolonya, and Songkope. A new 20-unit public toilet in Lolonya has reduced open defecation, improving public health and sanitation.

4. Infrastructure Improvements and Community Development (SDG 8 & 11): Collaborating with local authorities, rehabilitated access roads, improving transportation and connectivity. The development of a sports village in Sege promotes local youth engagement, providing an avenue for skill-building and recreation.

5. Empowering Through Education (SDG 4): Scholarships and training on policy and legislative matters are offered to locals, fostering community awareness and lifelong learning.

Lives are changing.

This is the power of the private sector. Profit is a good word and the search for long-term sustainable profitability usually benefits both the big and small.

Major enterprises must have a commitment to the local community.

As another example - In farming DBG supports the larger farmers who have a community program to support small holders. The larger farms help clear the land, provide higher quality seeds, teach better farming methods and act as an off taker. This is the same principle we see beginning in Ada. A symbiotic partnership between large and small businesses building towards a mutually beneficial and trusted relationship.

Issues remain - the granting of mining licenses cuts little ice with indigenes who have mined salt without interruption.

There is clearly more work still to be to be done - building trust takes time - but the large corporate gold mines would do well to closely follow the progress of what is happening in Ada and reflect if they can play a similar proactive role in the? solution to Galamsey