The QLA Campaign, organised by the HeidelbergCement (HC) and its subsidiaries across the globe, including Ghacem Limited of Ghana, seeks to source ideas towards the effective regeneration and management of biodiversity in its mining sites.

The campaign rewards the most effective ideas on possible ways to reclaim lands in areas where the HC Group operates globally.

The project which runs from January to September 2018 entails a lot of work including site visits, engagement with key stakeholders such as communities around the quarry sites where Ghacem operates, report writing and presentation.

New in this fourth edition as outlined is a separate assessment of scientific and community project ideas with six finalists instead of five segmented into research stream and community stream with only the first and second to receive prize money of 5000 Euros and 2500 Euros respectively in the different categories.

The QLA National Coordinator, Kwabena Labi Addo in a statement issued by Ghacem underscored the importance of the engagement with the participants and said it will also afford the QLA jury members and executives the opportunity of understanding the methodology of the various projects.

A jury member, Prof Erasmus Henaku Owusu, Director, Centre for Climate Change and Sustainable Studies, University of Ghana, in his assessment observed the various projects as very competitive compared to the previous editions.

He urged the participants to be mindful of the competitive nature of this year’s competition and work assiduously to come out with a credible project which can become an additional value for them and not just the awards.

On his part, Mr. Yaw Kwakye, of the Climate Change Unit of the Forestry Commission who is also a jury member observed the segmentation of this year’s project into research stream and community stream as an important innovation as it would provide detailed analyses of the two areas.

A participant, Ms. Emily Esenam Bansah who spoke on behalf of the finalists noted the first encounter with the jury has been educative since the Jury has been able to analyse the various projects for them to move forward with the projects.

By Times Reporter