Second Stakeholder's Dialogue

MEETING THE CHALLENGES OF

RESTORING THE CHEMU II LAGOON

Date: August 24 & 25, 2005

Venue: HOTEL WESTGATE – TEMA, GHANA

Organizer: CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY MOVEMENT – CSRM

Sponsor: FRIEDRICH EBERT STIFTUNG – FES
 

DRAFT REPORT

ON THE SECOND STAKEHOLDERS’ DIALOGUE

ON THE CHEMU II LAGOON

BACKGROUND: - The second stakeholders’ dialogue is in fulfillment of the recommendation of the first stakeholders’ dialogue CSRM organized in collaboration with FES on August 27 and 28, 2005 at Royal Ravico Hotel - Nungua.

At the said dialogue CSRM was charged with the institution of an annual stakeholders’ dialogue between Industry, Government and it’s Agencies, Traditional Authorities, Civil Society Organizations, Labour Organizations, and individual members of the community who are impacted upon by activities of companies.

Due to the sensitive nature of the status of the Tema Chemu II Lagoon, the second stakeholders dialogue, refocused on it to primarily access the level to which commitment made at the last stakeholders dialogue has been fulfilled and the level to which that has positively influenced the status of the Lagoon.

As a prelude to the dialogue, CSRM in collaboration with FES organized a consultative and briefing sessions for the Tema Municipal Assembly, Traditional Authorities from Tema and Kpone, Health Safety and Environmental Managers of Industry and cross section of Parliamentarians to also assess the level to which the August 2003, commitments has been met by these groupings and to identify challenges and take inputs for the 2nd stakeholders dialogue.

At the meeting with the Municipal Chief Executive for Tema, Opinion leaders and representatives of the MP’s in Tema, it was decided that the fourth option of recommendations in the Acres report should be adopted for implementation. There were challenges, which were however identified. The August 2005 dialogue is therefore premised on the following;

Aims and Objectives:

1. Identify possible source of funding for the restoration project.

2. Review the recommendations of 2003 and reassign roles.

3. Make the issue of the Chemu II Lagoon and the recommendations thereof in the Acres report priority on the national agenda.

4. Develop an effective strategy to seek funding for the Chemu II Lagoon restoration.

5. Identify mitigation measures of the impact of the status of the Lagoon on the adjoining communities.

PARTICIPANTS:

About 90 participants drawn form the Tema Municipal Assembly, Industry, Civil Society Organizations, Kpone and Tema Traditional Council, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDG’s), the Fire service and the Media, came together to dialogue.

PRESENTATIONS

There were Ministerial presentations from the following Ministries on the respective topics.

Ministry of local Government and Rural Development, “The role of local Government Agencies in ensuring compliance to environmental regulations”.

In an address read on his behalf the Hon. Minister extensively discussed the laws governing the operations of the agencies of his ministry and how that fits into regulating the activities impacting on the environment.

The Private Sector Development Ministry discussed what the private sector ministry is doing to enhance corporate social responsibility vis a vis the African peer Review mechanism report? The representatives of the minister, in his presentation discussed various interventions that serve as congregating factor in corporate social responsibility but admitted that the ministry has no clearly defined policy on CSR. He however said the ministry’s policy document is adequately flexible to accommodate such a policy.

In this address, the Hon. Deputy Minister for Trade and Industry, who made a presentation on the role of industry in effective waste management, dwelled extensively on what his ministry is doing to adequately address the issue of managing waste from industry. He also discussed how to help address the waste issues.

In the key not address read on her behalf, the Hon Minister for Environment and Science, on the topic meeting the challenges of restoring the Chemu II Lagoon, the theme for the dialogue, she charged the Tema Municipal Assembly, to ensure a competent technical team is put in place to study the Acres report on the chemu II Lagoon Restoration project, to enable her ministry to act.

She also asked the Assembly to launch a fund for the restoration project and to set up a secretariat to coordinate the projects.

She charged industry to as a matter of show of responsibility, contribute to the restoration project since they contributed to the current status. She then asked the members of parliament to join the advocacy process.

Presentation form the Executive Director of EPA, also discussed the role of the Environmental Protection Agency in regulating and issuance of environmental permits and stated that unplanned development and urbanization is currently the bane of the Chemu II Lagoon.

He charges stakeholders to corporate with the agency to address the problem.

On his part the Tema Municipal Chief Executive called for effective collaboration between all stakeholders since TMA alone cannot handle the challenges posed by the status of the Lagoon.

In his welcome address, the executive secretary of CSRM asked the Assembly to desist from act that will aggravate the already bad situation and urged the Ministry of Environment and TMA to stop all projects they are involved in around the catchments of the Lagoon.

The chairman for the occasion asked all stakeholders to collaborate affectively to help address the situation and encourage stakeholders to put their expert know how and resources to help reverse the Chemu II Lagoon trend.

RESOLUTION

Based upon the observations and deliberations of participants, and after a comprehensive briefing by the resource persons from EPA, the dialogue adopted the following resolutions to guide all in the bid to restore the Chemu II Lagoon.

•  Having thoroughly examined the options proposed by the Acres International of Canada in the Chemu II feasibility study report of 1998, the option four as proposed should be implemented and funding must be sourced for it’s implementation.

•  Since Industry contributes to the present state of the Lagoon it stands to reason that they contribute financially to the restoration of the Lagoon as part of their corporate Social responsibility and in accordance with the polluter pays-principle.

•  TMA must create markets for source-separated recyclables and directly provide profitable services in areas of operation, to cost recovery schemes as part of their social responsibility. The Members of Parliament in the Tema Municipality shall make the chemu II Lagoon restoration project an issue on the national agenda.

•  All squatters and other structures within 50m to 100m around the banks of the lagoon should be demolished immediately.

•  New Structures/settlements that are springing up within this radius be stopped and removed.

•  TMA constitute a task force, which shall monitor activities in and around the Lagoon catchment area on or before September 30, 2005.

•  Application for issuance of permits for development around the catchments area of t he lagoon be suspended indefinitely.

•  TMA, Traditional Authorities, CSRM, and EPA create an awareness programme with the support of the media to sensitize the public especially those resident around the Chemu II Lagoon.

• On funding for t he project it was also adopted that adequate consultations are made with the AMA and Ministry of Works and Housing for advise as to how the Korle Lagoon project was funded.

SIGNIFICANCE:

The significance of the dialogue include:

•  Platforms were Industry, Government and Agencies, Traditional Authority and civil society sit together as a table to discuss issues affecting the larger society under an atmosphere free of intimidation.

• The dialogue looked beyond the restoration of the Chemu II Lagoon and also considered other important national issues. It looked at issues affecting business community relations and the process of enhancing corporate social responsibilities in Ghana.

• The dialogue also considered the issue of Good corporate Government and corporate social Responsibility as it is in the Africa people Review Mechanism draft report on Ghana.

• Participants also were of the view that members of parliament especially in Tema Municipality need to make the Chemu II Restoration project an important national issue and an example of restoring the nation's marine ecosystem.

There are suggestions also for an integrated approach to enhancing business community relations with industry and the Assemblies playing lead role in the various district as a means of fighting poverty.

WAY FORWARD:

The way forward is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders in the bid to restoring the Lagoon and it is hoped that CSRM would continue to dialogue with the various stakeholders and participating institutions, individuals and collectively work towards the implementation of the recommendations therein.

PHOTOS (click to see full size):

	From left to right: Director of Ministry of Environment & Science; Official of Environmental Protection Agency; Mayor of Tema Municipality; Deputy Trade & Industry Minister; Chairman of event (a planner); Executive Secretary of CSRM
	A cross section of participants.
	Richster Nii Amarh Amarfio, Executive Secretary of CSRM,  delivers welcome address.