The Coordinator of the National Alternative Employment and Livelihood Programme (NAELP) Dr. Lousie Carol Serwaa Donkor, on Friday, 26th May 2023, received the Canadian High Commissioner to Ghana, Martine Moreau, at the NAELP secretariat.

The purpose of the visit was to foster mutual understanding and explore potential areas of collaboration.

During the meeting, the High Commissioner introduced various training programmes offered by Canada, highlighting initiatives such as providing mining companies with training on sustainable practices and governance principles.

Additionally, she discussed programs focused on labor training and empowerment, including the West Africa Governance & Economic Sustainability in Extractive Areas (WAGES) and the training offered by the World University Service of Canada (WUSC).

The High Commissioner also commended Ghana for its noteworthy advancements in agriculture over the past few decades, particularly mentioning the "Modernising Agriculture in Ghana" funding programme.

This programme, with a value of nearly 200,000,000 CAD, offers support to Ghanaian farmers with an emphasis on value addition, climate-resilient crop cultivation, and increased productivity. She emphasized that this fund has already benefited over 2.5 million local farmers.

Dr. Donkor emphasized the agenda of promoting entrepreneurship to expand employment opportunities for the youth. This agenda involves creating entrepreneurship prospects within the mining value chain and identifying local companies with potential for growth and increased employment capacity.

Furthermore, the National Coordinator reiterated NAELP's focus on implementing the community mining module.

Dr. Donkor emphasized that this approach places great importance on responsible and sustainable mining practices, aiming to formalize the process by empowering local leaders to oversee concessions and ensure responsible mining.

In response, Ms Moreau directed NAELP to initiatives that could be tapped into for collaboration.