The HIA4SD project partner in Ghana is the University of Health and Allied Sciences. In 2019, the project conducted focus group discussions and interviews in communities near three major gold mining projects in the Upper Denkyira West district, the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipal district and the Asutifi North Municipal. A wide range of local stakeholders, including representatives from the mines, the health care sector and community members were consulted to understand local perceptions of health impacts. In addition, interviews with stakeholders at the central-level within Ministries, mining companies and civil society organizations were conducted to discuss potential policy options for managing health impacts of mining projects.
The results from the first phase of the HIA4SD project have been summarized in a series of documents:
Multi-stakeholder meeting in Accra
A diversity of stakeholders participated in a multisector meeting in Accra on 17 August 2021 that initiated the policy dialogue phase. The objective of the meeting was to provide an update of the HIA4SD project and to discuss various policy options to improve public health in the context of large-scale mining projects. The stakeholders included representatives from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service, Ghana chamber of mines, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), local government service, research and academic institutions and civil society organizations (CSOs).
The meeting offered the opportunity to present empirical evidence of the impacts of industrial mining projects on health as well as key findings from the Q-Study on potential public sector policy directions. These results can be found in the impact and governance workstream policy briefs. After the presentations, stakeholders took part in a participatory activity to identify specific actions or activities to strengthen the next phase of the project and actors who have a responsibility for implementation. Expected activities for the next phase of the project were also shared by project leaders.
The presentations of the workshop can be found here.
Group photo of the representatives of the various sectors participating in the stakeholder meeting
How can large infrastructure developments impact health in communities and how can health impact assessment (HIA) serve as a tool to address such impacts?
This was the leading question for the three-day HIA course that took place between 23 and 25 August 2022 in Accra. The training aimed to provide an overview of the practical steps involved in a HIA and to discuss how a HIA can be promoted in Ghana. It involved a well-balanced mix of teaching and learning methods. The participants gained a thorough understanding of the concepts and processes of conducting a HIA. Although HIA is a relatively new field in Ghana, they agreed on its relevance and discussed on country-specific chances and potential issues to implement it.
Click here for the complete training report (English).
Click here for detailed information on training possibilities.
Active exchange and discussions among participants
University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS)
Prof. Fred Binka
Local project leader
The HIA4SD project is international research project lead by a multinational consortium based in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mozambique, Switzerland and Tanzania. The project aims to strengthen the application of health impact assessment as a regulatory mechanism to engage natural resource projects in working towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The project is funded by the r4d programme, which is a joint initiative of the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.