The Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) has invested $3 million in Ghana to strengthen community resilience and address the economic, political and civic drivers of radicalisation and instability, with a new focus on security challenges associated with artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM).
Since beginning its engagement in Ghana in late 2023, the fund has supported 11 civil society organisations (CSOs) implementing interventions to prevent violent extremism, promote community dialogue, strengthen conflict prevention and expand economic opportunities for vulnerable groups.
The Regional Manager for the Gulf of Guinea at GCERF, Maria Alessi Polidoro, announced this at the opening of a two-day Regional Community of Practice in Accra.
The two-day meeting was on the theme: “Resilience Revolution in West Africa: Inclusive Livelihoods, Responsible Business and Strategic Partnership for Stability and Growth.”
It was organised by GCERF, a global fund dedicated to preventing violent extremism by strengthening community resilience, with support from Germany and in partnership with Ghana’s national security authorities.
The event brought together representatives of the National Security Council Secretariat, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, CSOs, the private sector, development institutions and regional practitioners and stakeholders to exchange experiences and identify practical approaches to strengthening stability in mining communities.
The gathering concluded with practical recommendations and stronger partnerships to advance inclusive livelihoods, responsible business and stability across West Africa.
Mining focus
Ms Polidoro said the fund was extending its preventive approach to examine how mining-related economic activities could contribute to insecurity and conflict, while also creating opportunities for livelihoods, national wealth and community stability.
She said GCERF had spent about a year engaging stakeholders across Ghana’s mining landscape to develop a preventive framework addressing the security dimensions of artisanal and small-scale mining alongside its environmental concerns.
She said the initiative would bring together communities, government institutions, traditional authorities, civil society and private-sector actors, including the Chamber of Mines, to identify practical solutions.
“We do not have to look at it just as a mining problem and an environmental issue, but as a sector that can meaningfully contribute to the country's wealth and community resilience,” she said.
Local voices
Ms Polidoro said the framework would place affected communities at the centre of decision-making, with local CSOs helping to strengthen existing engagement platforms or establish new ones where necessary.
She said such platforms would enable residents to raise concerns, contribute ideas and work with authorities and mining companies to address disputes and build trust.
She added that responsible business practices and stronger partnerships between industry and host communities were essential to preventing conflict and ensuring that mining contributed to sustainable development.
