PROJECT TEAM FORMED AND PROJECT INITIAL DISCUSSIONS UNDERTAKEN TO KICK START THE PROJECT
As part of the project implementation, one day meeting was organized for small scale miners and community elders affected by mercury usage in the Gbani mining community. The purpose of the meeting was to bring stakeholders together to discuss the approved project, and put in place a small project management team to support project implementation on the ground. A total of 40 individual took part in the project initial discussions. Out of this, 21 were male whiles 19 were female. Participant were made up of representatives from Small Mining Groups, Mineral commission, and petty traders, leaving in the mining communities. The meet took place in Gbani community. Picture: stakeholders discussing the approved project.

INTERESTED MINERS AND COMMUNITIES IN THE REMEDIATION PROCESS IDENTIFIED AND REGISTERED
Also to kick start the remediation process, series of activities were undertaken to identify mercury hotspots within the mining cluster and register both miners and community members for the remediation process. Picture : female miners demonstrating her daily samples-insisting to be registered during the registration process

Fiist activity was that the project management team together with other stakeholders undertook a number of activities including site visits to look at the extend of mercury usage among small scale miner. This was then followed by three separate meetings with miners in 3 most considered mercury hot spot in the Gbani mining community. The potshot are Obuasi, Tankwa and Kegitia in the Gbani mining community. The purpose of meeting was to discuss the nature of mercury handling among the small scale miners, the remediation processes involved and then registered interested community members and miners alike willing to take part in the remediation process. A total of 120 miners signed up, registred and express interest in participating in the remediation process in the Gbani mining community. Out of this, 42 were female miners while 78 were male miners.

EDUCATE THE SELECTED MEMBERS IN PHYTOREMEDIATION AND PHYOSTABILIZATIONS
phytoremediation and phyostabilizations are two necessary tools as part of the remediation process and therefore to start implementing, a workshop was organized for each mining site in Gbani community to sensitize miners and community members living within. A total of 124 made up of 46 female and 78 male miners took part in the sensitization workshop. Picture: partcipants listen during workshop. Plant-based remediation techniques are showing increasing promise for use in soils contaminated with organic and inorganic pollutants. Two contrasting approaches to remediation are being pursued: pollutant-stabilization and containment, where soil conditions and vegetative cover are manipulated to reduce the environmental hazard; and decontamination, where plants and their associated microflora are used to eliminate the contaminant from the soil. Using participatory approach, Two Resource persons, one coming from Mineral Commission, Bolgatanga Office, two resource persons were brought from mineral commission, Bolgatanga Office to conduct the sensitization activities. Participants were taken through topics such as what is phytoremediation and phyostabilizations, their uses, how and when to use them, others include the importance of using them and benefits to be derived if properly adopted and use. A detailed training is scheduled to take place in October with UMAT as the lead trainer institution and for ground implementation.

THREE WORKSHOPS HELD TO SENSITIZE INTERESTED MINERS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN THE IMPORTANCE OF REMEDIATION AND ITS PROCESS

In order to make degraded mining sites remediation as integral part of small scale mining activity, vigorous mining community level sensitization workshop was organized to educate 3 mining hotspots locations in the Talinsi Districts. The activity was undertaken to educate small scale miners to understand and appreciate in the importance of degraded mining sites remediation and its process.
Mining Communities awareness creation message content was developed for implementation. A total of 722 individuals made up of 321 female and 401 sensitized on importance of remediation and its process. These are Obuasi, Tankwa and Kegitia small scale mining group and their community member. The meeting brought together all segment including miners, engineers, petty traders, farmers etc. The miners and non miners in these mercury hotspot communities were taken through topics such as issues of small scale mining and its impact on the environment ie land degradation, soil and water pollution, mining waste disposal and cost in terms of human health.

Two Resource persons, coming from Mineral Commission, Bolgatanga Office, were brought to conduct the sensitization programme in the 3 mercury hotspot sites using participatory approach. Each day meeting was divided into two parts, with first session being presentation from resource person whiles the second session being interactive, questions and answers from the participants. The resource persons also educated participants about the Minamata convention pointing out that Ghana is signatory and has committed itself to Minamata Convention on Mercury indicating that there is a need for a all out appropriate response to reduce and if possible eliminate completely mercury uses among small scale and artisanal miners.

Conclusion
The first quarter of the project implementation has ended. A total of 722 individuals made up of 321 female and 401 has been mobilized and sensitized on importance of remediation and its process. in the next quarter, a detailed training is scheduled to take place in October/November with UMAT as the lead trainer institution. the project will then go ahead to start testing phytoremediation and phyostabilizations with selected miners on the ground.