GHANA EPA AKOBEN PROGRAMGHANA EPA AKOBEN PROGRAM

By Miss AgbettorBy Miss AgbettorDirector SHEQ Foundation

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EPA Main Responsibilities• Environmental licensing• Enforcement of Environmental law • Environmental planning and guidance• Monitoring and reporting on the environmental status (air, water, waste,

noise, land and soil), )• Environmental research• Monitor and analysis the environment• National environmental protection• National environmental protection• Licence and control large scale activities.• Independent reporting of trends in waste generation, management and

i f t tinfrastructure. • Regulate greenhouse gas emissions• Provide guidance to the public and industry on environmental concerns• Promoting waste prevention• And now AKOBENAKOBEN

AKOBENAKOBEN program is an environmental performance rating and disclosure initiative of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Government of Ghana. Under the AKOBEN initiative, the environmental performance of mining and manufacturing operations is

d i fi l i h h fi l GOassessed using a five-color rating scheme. The five colors are GOLD, GREEN, BLUE, ORANGE and RED, indicating environmental performance ranging from excellent to poor These ratings are annuallyperformance ranging from excellent to poor. These ratings are annually disclosed to the public and the general media, and it aims to strengthen public awareness and participation.public awareness and participation. The overall rating methodology for AKOBEN has three key Components…..concept, rating rules and rating criteria.

AKOBEN - METHODOLOGYConceptAKOBEN measures environmental and social performance of companies using a five-color

h Th l d l t th ti l f f i i l discheme. These color-codes evaluate the operational performance of companies including mandatory regulatory compliance with permits and risk minimization from toxics/hazardous wastes as well as the voluntary commitments of companies regarding social responsibilities and

it l ti Th t l f k f thi f l i d fi d b lcommunity relations. The conceptual framework of this performance scale is defined below.

AKOBEN - METHODOLOGYRatingsThese rating rules are the backbone of the AKOBEN program, and the EPA aims to keep it i l b t i h t th t AKOBEN t ti l i ti f thsimple but rigorous enough to ensure that AKOBEN creates continual incentives for the

companies to improve and maintain their good environmental performance, and minimize risks to environment and the communities around their sites.

AKOBEN - METHODOLOGYRating CriteriaThese are specific indicators and site audit questions that are assessed using quantitative data as

ll lit ti i f ti i Y /N t l i twell as qualitative information using a Yes/No assessment scale scoring system.

AKOBEN - COMPLIANCECompliance Rate: measures the percentage of measurements of environmental parameters that are within the limits of environmental quality standards. For most environmental parameters when a value is less than or equal to the environmental quality standard, it is a case ofwhen a value is less than or equal to the environmental quality standard, it is a case of compliance with the standard.

AKOBEN – DATA COLLECTIONAKOBEN rating methodology is a data intensive system, and therefore complete and current data are essential for reliable ratings. AKOBEN largely applies quantitative data which are Collected on a monthly basis. Qualitative information are also used in ratings which areCollected on a monthly basis. Qualitative information are also used in ratings which are collected through site audits on an annual basis. Quantitative data are organized into two main categories—for indicators like energy and water use, production and employment, solid and hazardous waste management and public complaints data are collected at the company levelhazardous waste management and public complaints, data are collected at the company level. And for environmental parameters including effluent discharges, water and air quality, and noise pollution, data are collected at a monitoring station level or point sources..

AKOBEN – EVALUATION PROCESSEvaluation of ratings is a process that requires considerable amount of quantitative analysis as well as strict adherence to the protocol for pre-disclosure feedback from companies. A final review by EPA's senior management provides additional quality control and assurance. Oncereview by EPA s senior management provides additional quality control and assurance. Once AKOBEN team finalizes the ratings, it is presented to the Executive Director of EPA, followed by final presentation and discussion with the Minister of Environment, Government of Ghana.

AKOBEN – Rating Report CardAKOBEN report card is a carefully designed document that provides a 360° view of environmental and social performance of companies. Through these report cards, regulators inform companies about their operational performance, and it also sends a clear message toinform companies about their operational performance, and it also sends a clear message to companies about their performance gaps. It specifies information that companies can utilize to make decisions and allocate resources to improve and maintain their environmental ratings.

AKOBEN – SUMMARYPublic disclosure of AKOBEN’s rating is the end point of months of effort on data collection and analysis. However, AKOBEN’s disclosure is not a single event; it is a process that follows a three-step procedure before the final disclosure to the public and the media. As a first step,three step procedure before the final disclosure to the public and the media. As a first step, AKOBEN privately shares the results of the ratings with companies; this step is called internal disclosure. If there is a disputable issue, companies inform the AKOBEN team in writing or hold a meeting in person Upon receiving the feedback AKOBEN reviews the ratings and resends thea meeting in person. Upon receiving the feedback, AKOBEN reviews the ratings and resends the final ratings to companies. Next the ratings are reviewed by the senior management of the EPA and approved for public disclosure. The final ratings are then disclosed to the public through a press conference and are also posted on AKOBEN websitepress conference, and are also posted on AKOBEN website.

For more information on AKOBEN please visithttp://www epaghanaakoben org/http://www.epaghanaakoben.org/