The jury and coordinators of the 2018 Quarry Life Awards (QLA) competition have embarked on a two-day duty tour of the project sites of the six national finalists.

The day was also used to officially announce the September 20 deadline for the submission of the final reports by the finalists. 

The joint tour took the team to the Beposo and Yongwa quarry sites of the leading cement producer, GHACEM Ltd, where the finalists chose to conduct their research.

Abraham Addo-Ansah Allotey and Evans Ewald Nkrumah undertook their projects at the Beposo quarry in the Western Region, whilst Messrs Edmond Schandorf, Daniel Adusu, Kwame Konadu Yeboah and Ms Emily Esenam Bansah – chose the Yongwa quarry at the Eastern Region.

The QLA is a national-cum-global competition organized by the Heidelberg Cement (HC) Group and its subsidiaries, including Ghacem Ltd, to source ideas on effective regeneration and management of biodiversity at its mining sites.

Briefing the media, the QLA National Coordinator, Kwabena Labi Addo, explained the duty tour was an exercise to help the jury and coordinators fairly assess the six projects.

Through this, he said, they would assist the finalists in reviewing and fine-tuning their final reports for submission.

Sharing their views, Mr. Yaw Kwakye, a Jury Member described the work done on field by the participants as a demonstration that “they do not only have an understanding of the theory but in setting up their experiments they are on top of the topics chosen as well” and hoped Ghana will make an impact at the international level as well during the international awards.

Another Jury Member, Dr Daniel E.K.A. Siaw, Land Reclamation & Rehabilitation Department, KNUST also observed the participants have practically done what they researched on. 

He further observed this as positive for the QLA National awards “because we have executed our intention of making the 4th edition of the QLA competitive”

He commended Ghacem for introducing a novelty in ensuring the environment is well protected and an attestation that its one of the very few mining companies that care about the environment.

Also present was Mr. Joseph Mensah, Environment, Health and Safety Manager of Ghacem who was on hand to give a more insight into the biodiversity and reclamation plan by the company. 

Mr. Mensah recalled a partnership with Ghacem and Birdlife International/Ghana wildlife Society which has now seen the production/generation of a tree nursery with about 4,000 seedlings to be planted all in a bid to restore degraded land.

“The communities and areas we operate are dear to us as such we will sustain the QLA research campaign for the people to understand the benefit of the Biodiversity initiative to make the necessary impact” he assured

Most of the participants who spoke to the Press were upbeat the entire research including the literature review and field/practical work has been useful to them as researchers/students and commended Ghacem for investing in the protection of nature for future generations.