CDD-Ghana Launches Mining District Development Scorecard to Enhance Transparency

The Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) has launched the Mining District Development Scorecard (MDDS) report in Accra, aimed at promoting transparency and empowering local stakeholders in eight mining districts to hold authorities accountable for the utilization of the Mineral Development Fund (MDF).

At the launch, Dr. Edem Selormey, the Director of Research and Knowledge Management at CDD, emphasized that the MDDS is a pioneering tool designed to assess and rank the performance of these districts in managing mineral revenue.

The selected districts include Upper Denkyira West, Asutifi North, Obuasi Municipal, Brim North, Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai, Wassa East, Prestea Huni-Valley, and Tarkwa-Nsuaem, chosen based on their mining operations, socioeconomic development, and civil advocacy presence.

The scorecard revealed that Brim North District topped the rankings with a score of 42.4%, while Obuasi Municipal performed the worst with a score of only 8.4%. The national average for MDF utilization was reported at 26.9%, indicating significant challenges in the management of mineral royalties at the local level.

Key issues highlighted in the report include a lack of awareness among citizens regarding MDF-funded projects and insufficient engagement from Local Management Committees (LMCs).

Recommendations for improvement include re-evaluating the distribution framework for LMCs and enhancing information dissemination to ensure transparency in fund management.

The report also suggests the establishment of legislation akin to that in the oil and gas sector to better manage mining royalties.

By Derick Botsyoe || ghananewsonline.com.gh