Accra, Sept. 6, GNA -- The ActionAid International-Ghana (AAIG) on Tuesday, handed over "Policy Brief Documents' to policy makers of the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Accra. The documents were research into 'Impact of sand winning activities on the livelihood of the people in rural communities: The case of the Ga West District in the Greater Accra Region'.
The programme was organised and sponsored by AAIG. It was preceded by what was dubbed 'Dissemination seminar,' and attended by personalities, such as chiefs, queen mothers and assembly members of the affected communities, and representatives of the relevant MDAs and Members of Parliament.
Speaking on the topic 'Dissemination of the Policy Brief, Mr Kwesi Ohemeng-Agyei, Programme Manager of AAIG, Greater Accra Region, explained that, the research was conducted in 20 communities in the Ga West District of the Greater Accra Region.
He explained further that, the essence of the research was to assess the impact of sand winning activities on the livelihood of the people in the affected communities, who were mainly farmers and on agriculture and food security in general.
Mr Ohemeng-Agyei said the research sought to ascertain how sand winning could be made attractive and beneficial to the people involved, if it should be continued in moderation or whether it should be discouraged.
In addition, he said, it sought to recommend other ways to encourage community support for coastal management initiatives by ascribing alternative livelihood systems that would be more attractive than sand winning.
The Programme Manager stated, 'This policy brief is a by-product of the research', adding, 'the brief has been prepared to provide policy makers with vital information on the impact of sand winning activities on the livelihood of the people in rural communities'.
Mr Ohemeng-Agyei was emphatic that, the 91policy brief' was focused on the findings and recommendations of the study. He pointed out that though there were some benefits such as direct employment creation for the youth, the negative impacts outweighed the positive.
He listed some of the negative impacts as depletion of farmlands, food insecurity, noise pollution, air pollution, climate change, unemployment and rural-urban migration.
He stated that 93ensuring adequate enforcement of regulations on sand winning operations, strict implementation of land conservation and reclamation measures, streamlining and simplifying administrative structures and processes involved in sand winning, and providing training for alternative livelihood skills,' were the general policy measures recommended.
Mrs Taaka Awori Akuffo Gyimah, Country Director, emphasised that it was the hope of AAIG that the information contained in the 91brief' would go a long way to assist policy makers to see the need to take a second look at their policies, concerning sand winning activities in rural communities and in the country as a whole.
She said, 91It is our belief that, when specific zones are marked out for farming and sand winning activities, identifying illegal sand winners would be easier,' adding, 91when sand winning is forbidden on lands, which require large hectares of land for a minimum quantity of sand, it will reduce drastically, the rate of depletion of farmlands.' In this way, the Country Director was optimistic that, the current practice of sand winning everywhere, irrespective of how many hectares of land will be depleted for a small quantity of sand would be rectified.
=91We now really have to move from talking to action and that we would continue to follow-up, until the mess is rectified,' she said. Nii Tettey Okpe II, Chief of Amamole, chaired the function. He described the document as very timely and charged the respective district assemblies not to be much interested in toll collections only, but also to prosecute illegal sand winners.
Accra, Sept. 6, GNA -- The ActionAid International-Ghana (AAIG) on Tuesday, handed over "Policy Brief Documents' to policy makers of the relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in Accra. The documents were research into 'Impact of sand winning activities on the livelihood of the people in rural communities: The case of the Ga West District in the Greater Accra Region'.
The programme was organised and sponsored by AAIG. It was preceded by what was dubbed 'Dissemination seminar,' and attended by personalities, such as chiefs, queen mothers and assembly members of the affected communities, and representatives of the relevant MDAs and Members of Parliament.
Speaking on the topic 'Dissemination of the Policy Brief, Mr Kwesi Ohemeng-Agyei, Programme Manager of AAIG, Greater Accra Region, explained that, the research was conducted in 20 communities in the Ga West District of the Greater Accra Region.
He explained further that, the essence of the research was to assess the impact of sand winning activities on the livelihood of the people in the affected communities, who were mainly farmers and on agriculture and food security in general.
Mr Ohemeng-Agyei said the research sought to ascertain how sand winning could be made attractive and beneficial to the people involved, if it should be continued in moderation or whether it should be discouraged.
In addition, he said, it sought to recommend other ways to encourage community support for coastal management initiatives by ascribing alternative livelihood systems that would be more attractive than sand winning.
The Programme Manager stated, 'This policy brief is a by-product of the research', adding, 'the brief has been prepared to provide policy makers with vital information on the impact of sand winning activities on the livelihood of the people in rural communities'.
Mr Ohemeng-Agyei was emphatic that, the 91policy brief' was focused on the findings and recommendations of the study. He pointed out that though there were some benefits such as direct employment creation for the youth, the negative impacts outweighed the positive.
He listed some of the negative impacts as depletion of farmlands, food insecurity, noise pollution, air pollution, climate change, unemployment and rural-urban migration.
He stated that 93ensuring adequate enforcement of regulations on sand winning operations, strict implementation of land conservation and reclamation measures, streamlining and simplifying administrative structures and processes involved in sand winning, and providing training for alternative livelihood skills,' were the general policy measures recommended.
Mrs Taaka Awori Akuffo Gyimah, Country Director, emphasised that it was the hope of AAIG that the information contained in the 91brief' would go a long way to assist policy makers to see the need to take a second look at their policies, concerning sand winning activities in rural communities and in the country as a whole.
She said, 91It is our belief that, when specific zones are marked out for farming and sand winning activities, identifying illegal sand winners would be easier,' adding, 91when sand winning is forbidden on lands, which require large hectares of land for a minimum quantity of sand, it will reduce drastically, the rate of depletion of farmlands.' In this way, the Country Director was optimistic that, the current practice of sand winning everywhere, irrespective of how many hectares of land will be depleted for a small quantity of sand would be rectified.
=91We now really have to move from talking to action and that we would continue to follow-up, until the mess is rectified,' she said. Nii Tettey Okpe II, Chief of Amamole, chaired the function. He described the document as very timely and charged the respective district assemblies not to be much interested in toll collections only, but also to prosecute illegal sand winners.
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