The Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Programme (rCOMSDEP) has commenced a series of community engagements in the Western Region to sensitise traditional leaders and residents on the benefits of cooperative mining.

The outreach began with visits to Akropong, Bomoapelley, Anwia, Nkroful, and Esiama in the Ellembelle District, as part of the government’s broader strategy to curb illegal mining and ensure host communities derive direct and sustainable benefits from mineral resources.

Explaining the initiative, rCOMSDEP Coordinator, Engineer Frank Pedro Asare, said cooperative mining is designed to guarantee ownership and equitable benefit-sharing for communities.

''Under the scheme, revenues will be distributed to support a community development fund, a land reclamation fund, and a skills development and entrepreneurship fund.

This ensures that mining leaves behind long-term benefits rather than only short-term gains,” he stated.

Engineer Asare also pointed out the root causes of illegal mining, including the absence of proper leases and unsafe mining practices.

He stressed that the cooperative mining model excludes operations in forest reserves and river bodies to safeguard the environment.

He further emphasised the importance of community participation, noting that past initiatives suffered due to inadequate consultation.
“One of the challenges with community mining was the lack of dialogue.

Communities often resisted projects because they felt excluded.

rCOMSDEP is determined to avoid that by securing community buy-in from the start,” he explained.

Traditional leaders in all five communities welcomed the concept and urged the government to expedite its rollout.

They expressed optimism that the programme would create jobs for the youth, reduce illegal mining, and support local development.