Public-private-partnership approach to conflict management and mitigation: a review of Newmont Ahafo mine's grievance management system in the Asutifi District in the Brong Ahafo region.

Research undertaken by the World Bank and others suggests that developing countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa's high dependence on mineral and other natural resources is correlated with an increased incidence of poor governance and conflicts. Though mining in Ghana dates back to the 15 and 16 centuries, relations between mining companies and affected communities have grown increasingly tenuous over the years a condition Carson et al (2006) attest has the potential to escalate to unimaginable heights as is evident by other resource endowed African countries such as the D.R. Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Angola among others. Studies have however shown that .Public-Private- Partnerships have the potential to effectively manage conflicts through extractive companies' engagement with civil society and public sector actors. This study therefore sought to review NGGL's Grievance Management System which employs a Public-Private-Partnership approach to conflict management to assess its effectiveness, relevance as well as its immediate impact and challenges. The study was carried out using a combination of Participatory Rural Appraisal (P.R.A.) tools including semi-structured questionnaires, focus group discussions and interview guides, these were used to collect information from the various stakeholders on their perceptions about the causes of conflict in the study communities and their views on the PPP approach to conflict management and mitigation in the study communities. Key findings from the research included the fact that, communities' high expectations of the spin-offs from mining, NGGL's seemingly skewed pattern of engaging stakeholders, the inability of community members to find employment with the mining company and the largely top-down nature of NGGL's partnerships have often been the foundation of most of the conflicts that persist in the Asutifi District. The study further found that all the PPPs being undertaken were very relevant as they were very much in harmony with the needs of the people. However, their effectiveness varied depending on the mode of implementation. Regarding the sustainability of PPP programmes, financial sustainability cannot be assured however the involvement of the Assembly, chiefs and the community at large in programmes guarantees their institutional sustainability even with the exit of NGGL. Recommendations made based on the findings of the research and meant to further strengthen NGGL's Grievance Management System included, the need to revise the legal framework on mining as well as auditing mineral royalties accruing to the District Assembly and Traditional Authorities. The need to attach micro-credit to Alternative Livelihood Programmes as well as reconstituting the Resettlement Negotiation Committee (RNC) to address broader stakeholder issues was also recommended. Finally, employing a bottom-up approach to partnerships to promote stakeholder participation was recommended to guarantee community ownership and sustainability of the programmes.

Source: KNUST