The problem statement and development challenge

The use of mercury in gold recovery is the most popular method among small scale miners in the Upper East Region. These small scale or artisanal mining activities largely take place in the formal or ?informal? economy. Statistics shows that the sector contribute substantially to the local and national economy through employment and economic income to those directly engaged in it aside total amount of gold produced to the national economy. So, while each individual mining operation may be relatively small, the practice is widespread. Because of the extraordinary amounts of mercury handled directly by the miners and released into the environment, the burden to human health is staggering. Mercury vapor inhaled by miners? results in impaired cognitive function, neurological damage, kidney damage and several other health problems. In some cases, amalgams are processed near the home or in gold shops in villages or cities, so the mercury vapor generated in the process affects non?miners living in these areas. For children and fetuses, exposure to mercury pollution is especially dangerous as it increases the likelihood of physical deformities, neurological damage and lower IQ. These risks of mercury exposure are also compounded by the high levels of mercury that accumulate in fish and other food supplies in ASGM communities. To overcome these challenges, it is important that new technologies or techniques which are low?cost and adaptable to the remote and under?resourced areas are introduced. Through, mercury awareness creation, introduction to efficient and alternative gold recovery technologies, and remediation tools applications, MOADEP will collaborate and work with resources persons from key stakeholder institutions to reduce and eliminate mercury use in the project catchment area.

Project Objectives
The primary objective of the project seeks to promote sustainable community mining within selected landscapes by educating small scale miners on the dangers of mercury usage and developing their capacities to adapt alternative gold recovering methods that eliminate and reduce mercury usage in gold recovery in the Upper East and Northern Regions

The specific objectives of the project are:
? To introduce the concept of community mining and create awareness among the small scale miners and the entire mining communities on the harmful effects of the wrong use of mercury in the gold processing.
? To build the capacities of the artisanal and small scale gold miners in effective and alternative gold recovering technologies that reduce/eliminate mercury use, emissions and releases.
? Support affected communities to remediate degraded and mercury contaminated mining areas whiles promoting alternative livelihoods enterprises to those adversely affected by the mining activities.

Project Justification
Ghana?s Obligation under Minamata Convention
Ghana became a signatory to the Minamata Convention to reduce mercury use on September 24, 2014 and ratified it on March 23, 2017. Ghana prepared its Minamata Initial Assessment (MIA) of mercury use in Ghana in August 2018, and has initiated steps to develop a comprehensive National Action Plan (NAP) to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of mercury, artisanal and small scale gold miners continue to use mercury in their daily operations across all nine mining districts of the country. The Government of Ghana in collaboration with the University of Mines and Technology (UMaT) has developed and introduced a direct smelting method that allows some miners to extract gold without the use of mercury, this method alone - without additional process flow designs that guides the choice of specific machinery and steps to prepare the ore for direct smelting -fails to address gold-bearing ores of all types. The lack of science-based advice on how to adequately prepare specific types of ore for mercury-free processing or direct smelting compounds this problem. In the midst of this significant technology gap, hundreds of thousands of ASGM miners including women and youth resort to unsafe, hazardous and environmentally unfriendly mining practices.
For these reasons, MOADEP will collaborate with UMAT, University of Mines and Technology, Mineral Commission, and other relevant stakeholder institutions, to create awareness on the dire consequences of mercury usages, introduce alternative methods to prevent mercury uptake in fish and food crops, and efficient and easy?to?use mercury?free mining techniques (clean gold recovery technologies) to small scale miners in the Gbane area. In addition, the project will work to identify, remediate already degraded or mercury contaminated areas and support mining affected community members with sustainable livelihood options as alternative livelihood source of income to those willing to give up mining related activities

The specific results or outcomes

? At least 300 of artisanal and small scale miners within the Gbane and Datoko mining cluster educated to understand the harmful effects of the wrong use of mercury and form registered groups to work with the Minerals Commission to take up responsible mining in the project catchment area,
? 30 groups of direct employee artisanal and small scale miners trained, certified and support to access and apply alternative gold recovering technologies that reduce/eliminate mercury use, emissions and releases in the project catchment area;
? Two clean gold recovery technologies ? (Direct smelting and Retort techniques) and borax technology introduced in two Ghetos.
? 10 ha of degraded and mercury contaminated sites remediated using cashew, Shea butter seedling and cassia woodlot.


Description of Project Activities
Output 1: At least 300 of artisanal and small scale miners within the Gbane and Datoko mining cluster educated to understand the harmful effects of the wrong use of mercury and form registered groups to work with the Minerals Commission to take up responsible mining in the project catchment area


Planned Activities

Undertake preliminary discussions of the approved project
The project management will undertake communities-preliminary discussions to identify and discuss with beneficiary communities the nature of the project, its objectives, benefits and outputs expected. Management will discuss with the beneficiary miners, the approved project plans, timelines, monitoring mechanism and seek their views, inputs and sign necessary protocols for effective implementation. The activity is expected to take place in the form of community meetings, key state agencies stakeholder consultative meetings within the first week of project approval. It is to reiterate the joint proposal which was submitted for funding.

Identify mercury hotspots within the mining cluster as baseline indicator

The project will identify the areas where mercury is used extensively within the cluster. This will be done by collecting samples of soils, hair and urine of selected miners would be sampled for mercury residual mercury testing. Spots where mercury are used extensively would be identified and codified. The outcome of the survey would be shared with the miners and other beneficiaries. This activity will be undertaken within the first month of the project implementation.

Embark on intensive mercury awareness campaign

The project management team (PMT) in collaboration with the Minerals Commission Office in Bolgatanga will develop an intensive curriculum for awareness creation. The project will acquire all the necessary educational and information materials for awareness creation. The PMT will conduct awareness and educational campaign for the small scale miners to understand the risk and dangers associated with wrong uses of mercury in gold recovery. Community awareness creation message content would be developed for implementation. Through community level workshops and durbars, 3 major stakeholder gathering would be conducted to educate mercury affected mining communities in the project catchment areas. In addition, radio presentation would be conducted using the local FM stations to reach out to the larger population in the project catchment area. The use of technical leaflets and briefs will be explored if there are enough funds to educate the public in the mining affected communities.

Output 2: 30 groups of direct employee artisanal and small scale miners trained, certified and support to access and apply alternative gold recovering technologies that reduce/eliminate mercury use, emissions and releases in the project catchment area

Planned Activities

Form small scale mining groups

The PMT in collaboration with UMaT will form small scale mining groups and teach them on the right application of recommended gold recovery technologies-mainly Retort and Direct smelting technologies- small scale miners would be mobilized and put into groups for training purpose. Relatively two clean gold recovery technology in the form of direct smelting and retort techniques would be introduced to the selected small scale or artisanal miners. The direct smelting would be the first option if adopted would eliminate completely mercury uses whiles the second option would be the retort with the potential to reduce mercury usages to its minimal.

Train small scale mining groups in alternative mercury technologies

In collaboration with UMaT, the selected small scale or artisanal miners would be trained in the two technology application processes (retort and borax technologies) maintenance and acquisition including where and how to obtain the requisite technology, as part of the training, the project will pilot each of the two technology with the selected small scale or artisanal miners to enable beneficiaries compare and see the need to adapt the new technology for the purposes of the environment sustainability, economic gains, social cohesion and above all better healthy conditions of the both miners and non-miners within affected communities

Certify small scale mining groups

With support of the UMaT and the Minerals Commission, the trained ASG miners would be supported to apply and gain certification to operate as certified miners. It is expected that all the 30 groups to be trained will gain the necessary certificates to operate as small scale miners and follow the rudiments of the sustainable community mining principles.

Output 3 Two clean gold recovery technologies ? (Direct smelting and Retort techniques) and borax technology introduced in two Ghetos.

Planned Activities

Establish two gold recovery technologies in Gbane and Datoko

The project management in collaboration with UMaT and Minerals Commission will establish and pilot two clean gold recovery technologies ?Direct smelting and that of Retort in Gbane and Datoko communities- two clean gold recovery technologies centers would be piloted by all the trained miners. This will give small scale or artisanal miners the opportunity to test and see for themselves the benefits derived from the use of the two technologies introduced to them.
1.5.3.2 Support the private sector operators to invest the processing of the ore
The selected and trained small scale or artisanal miners with business mind will be made take charge, manage and take up the process after the project is over. Private enterprises or business would be linked to the pilot project in order to explore the possibility of supplying to the larger small scale miners

Output 4: 10 ha of degraded and mercury contaminated sites remediated using cashew, Shea and cassia seedlings as woodlot.

Develop and implement a strategy of remediation on degraded and mercury contaminated lands

The project management in collaboration with the mining affected mining communities will survey all the degraded areas and characterize them depending on the presence of mercury and extent of degradation. With support from the Forestry and Mineral?s Commissions and Environmental Protection, affected community lands would be survey. Various strategies would be developed for remediation. This activity takes care of reclaiming degraded areas and providing some kind of remedies to the already contaminated mining areas. To undertake this activity, stakeholders? meetings and workshops would be organized to map out strategies for implementation. The strategy would look at the possible and environmental appropriate remedy response such refilling, covering, scoping and planting of appropriate tree species.

Support communities to undertake remediation interventions

The project will establish two community tree nurseries capable of producing at least 60,000 seedlings annually. Selected members of the community would be trained to manage the nurseries. Depending on the level of mercury contamination the areas would be planted and nurtured

Provide alternative livelihood to community members engaged in remediation

Members engaged in the remediation activities and willing to give up mining related activities will be provided with alternative livelihood options- alternative livelihoods such as livestock rearing, sustainable farming and different business options.
Women marginally involved in the mining processing chain would be introduced to different business option to forfeit mining related activities. Concentration would be on the vulnerable members in society.