ATU seeks international cooperation to address illegal mining and land reclamation
Report by Ben LARYEA
Accra Technical University (ATU) as part of the effort to contribute to the solutions to address illegal mining (galamsey) menace across the country took the opportunity to participate in the Second Russia-Africa Raw Materials Dialogue held in Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation, in responsible mining.
The event created a platform to explore international cooperation in mining, mineral resource management, technology innovation and sustainable development, the university in this regard initiated a proposal for the establishment of a joint Ghana-Russian Centre for mine and rehabilitation and sustainable agriculture in partnership with Saint Petersburg Mining University.
He said a proposed project have been embarked at the university’s 135-acre Mpehuasem campus to develop into a centre of excellence for applied research, innovation, technical training and sustainable environmental management with the primarily objective of establishing a laboratory where researchers, environmental scientists among others to collectively work together to develop solutions for restoring degraded mining lands for agricultural purposes
The Vice-Chancellor of ATU, Eng. Prof. Amevi Akakpo, was speaking at a public lecture entitled “Beyond the Pit: The Cost of Gold on Ghana’s Farmlands and Security” and the Launch of the ATU Endowment Fund which forms part of the 10th anniversary of the institution transition from Polytechnic to University.
Throwing more light on the project, the Vice-Chancellor said there would be the organisation of a Russia-Ghana working group on mine land rehabilitation and agriculture reuse involving international experts, researchers, mining companies, mining-related agencies under government as well as agricultural practitioners, to address and transform degraded lands into productive use.
In a presentation, a mining engineer, Mr. K. A. Empeh said responsible mining will ensure food security when mining laws are duly applied and followed, adding that mined lands can be reclaimed for agricultural purposes and other economic and social activities, noting further that before companies goes into mining due diligence be applied.
The Board Chairman of Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), Prof. Joshua Alabi, commended the management of ATU for the initiative and urged other institutions of higher learning to explore other challenging areas of the economy confronting government for redress.
The occasion was also used to launch an endowment fund of ATU geared towards educational excellence, support deserving students, advanced applied research, innovation and the development of infrastructure of the university.
