BRACE Project Trains Paralegals Against Mining Injustices
Community paralegals across Ghana have completed intensive training on mining law and justice access mechanisms under the EU-funded BRACE Project. The three-day workshop in Kumasi, organized by Wacam, A Rocha Ghana, and the Nature and Development Foundation, equipped 28 participants from mining-affected communities to serve as focal points addressing environmental and human rights violations.
Augustine Niber from the Centre for Public Interest Law led sessions covering the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006, and avenues for seeking redress including courts and the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice. Participants learned that paralegals would bridge the gap between rural communities and legal institutions, where distance and cost typically prevent access to justice.
The training addressed Free, Prior and Informed Consent principles, sustainable development, and advocacy strategies. Wacam's leadership emphasized the program would strengthen community capacity to engage with mining companies, government bodies, and other stakeholders while promoting environmental accountability and responsible mining practices across Ghana's extractive sector.