Mr Ebenezer Appah-Sampong, President of the International Association for Impact Assessment (IAIA)Ghana has indicated the need for the association to get a proper framework in order to deal with internal institutional disagreements.
IAIA-Ghana is a global network on best practice in the use of impact assessment for informed decision making regarding policies, programmes, plans and projects.
Mr Appiah-Sampongsaid the IAIA had multiple institutions playing different roles for which reason it was vital “that we have a proper frame work to ensure that we all work together.”
Mr Appah-Sampong was speaking to some key issues raised from the Sentuo Oil Refinery Project and the Atiwa Bauxite Mining Project at the IAIA-Ghana End of Year Conference Dinner in Accra last Thursday.
Having admitted that there were institutional disagreements here and there, the IAIA-Ghana President said these conflicts were affecting the administration of the Association.
“The cases that have been presented shows that we have institutional disagreements and that has always been a challenge to try and put all together,” he said.
“Over time is has become better than when the system started but once in a while we have such institutional conflicts coming up and that is affecting the administration of IAIA in Ghana,” he added.
For this reason, Mr Appah-Sampong said the association had to step up its game particularly in playing an advocacy role in order to help promote the visibility of the association.
“I think it is an area we haven’t done so much in and it is one of the key target areas coming up in our strategic plan to promote the visibility of the association, thus playing more of an advocacy role,” he added.
Again, Mr Appah-Sampong emphasised that the association had been focused on doing assessment instead of ensuring that its system worked effectively.
He, therefore, charged members of the association to unite and raise awareness on issues which were needed to be addressed.
“As a team we need to come together and raise awareness at the highest level and engage stakeholders to discuss some of these issues and find a proper ground to do this,” he said.
“Technology today is available to do so many things without necessarily even impacting on the resources if you are willing to access and make that good decision,” he added.
Speaking on “The Dilemma of a Country: Conflict of Land Tenure, Planning and EIA Systems in Ghana- A Case of Sentuo Oil Refinery,” Mr Kojo Agbenor-Efunam, Acting Director of Petroleum, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) raised some key issues of concern on the project.
They included location, closeness to a powerful explosive substance (TNT), destruction of Ozoku stream, closing of the buffer between TNT and the industrial area, wetland, and congestion in the area.
Mr Aaron Asante Addai, Managing Consultant, Envi-Logica Consult in his presentation on some key issues emerging from the Atiwa Bauxite Mining Project stressed the need for a comprehensive examination of the project to ascertain its effects.
The event saw the awarding of nine registered corporate members of IAIA-Ghana who were committed to the association’s activities and impact assessment practices.
They included the EPA, Volta River Authority, SAL Consult Limited, Centre for Environment and Health Research and Training, NEMAS Consult Ltd, ESL Consulting Limited, Envirorich Consult Limited, Envi-Logica Consult limited and the Environ Engineering and Management Consult.
BY VIVIAN ARTHUR
