Amansie west: The Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) has organised a training workshop for citizens in the Amansie West District to deepen their understanding of the disbursement and utilisation of the Minerals Development Fund (MDF). The one-day workshop formed part of the project titled 'Improving the Efficiency in the Disbursement and Utilisation of Minerals Development Fund by Mining MMDAs to Accelerate Socio-economic Growth in Resource-Rich Communities.'
According to Ghana News Agency, the initiative is being implemented in partnership with the Centre for Extractives and Development Africa (CEDA), the Africa Disability Initiative (ADI), and the Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA), supported by the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP). The workshop brought together civil society groups, religious leaders, persons with disabilities, and community members to deliberate on how best the MDF could be managed to promote transparency, accountability, and sustainable development in mining communities.
The Minerals Development Fund was established by an Act of Parliament Act 912, (2016) to provide financial resources for the benefit of mining communities and institutions. The Fund is expected to support local development, mitigate the negative impact of mining, and improve the livelihoods of citizens living in resource-rich areas.
Mrs. Beauty Emefa Narteh, Executive Secretary of GACC, and Ms. Dorcas Affum Tenkrong, Assistant Programme Officer, facilitated the session, walking participants through the legal, policy, and institutional frameworks governing the Fund. They highlighted the revenue-sharing structure, the roles of key institutions such as the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and the Ministry of Finance, and the processes through which MDF resources were channeled to Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
The facilitators emphasised that citizens had an important oversight responsibility to ensure that funds allocated to mining districts were used efficiently. "Transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness are the pillars of good resource governance," Mrs. Narteh stressed, urging participants to monitor local projects financed through the Fund and demand answers when disbursements fail to reflect in improved socio-economic conditions.
According to the GACC officials, persistent challenges in the management of Ghana's natural resource revenues include corruption, weak transparency systems, non-compliance with existing regulations, limited public awareness, and, in some cases, wasteful spending. These governance gaps, they noted, undermined the potential of mineral revenues to transform mining communities.
Participants were also taken through the monitoring tool to be used to monitor the utilisation of MDF in the district and engage local authorities in demanding accountability. They commended GACC and ACEP for the initiative, noting that greater awareness of the MDF would empower them to hold duty-bearers accountable and safeguard mining revenues for collective benefit.
A 14-member Local Accountability Network (LANets) was formed to keep a close eye on public procurement processes and implementation of audit recommendations by the District Assembly.