The new facilities will be constructed on a 50 acres piece of land that was acquired in 2009 as part of the first phase of the Project. The land was acquired by Ashesi from the chief of Berekuso through a willing buyer-willing seller agreement. No historical claims are recorded related to the land acquisition process. The project site is located in a modified habitat area covered with grass and a few remnants of forest species, including a teak plantation. The land required for the construction of the facilities was cleared as part of the previous phases. The PS5: Land Acquisition and Involuntary Resettlement and PS6: Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Natural Resource Management are therefore not applicable to the project.

There are no groups in the project area that would be considered as Indigenous People for the purposes of PS7, so this Performance Standard does not apply.

No cultural heritage sites were observed on the project site during the previous phase of the project. Ashesi, implemented a chance find procedure as part of its environmental and social assessment before construction began for the previous phase. According to the information available, PS8, Cultural Heritage does not apply to the project.

This project have the potential to lead to key social, environmental, health and safety impacts such as; solid waste management, wastewater treatment, storm water drainage, gender, energy and water conservation, workers health and safety or life and fire safety.
The issues and impacts that were identified as part of the due diligence process can however be addressed through known and accepted procedures and technologies to avoid or mitigate social and environmental impacts. Given the information provided, this project has been classified as a Category B according to IFC’s Policy on Environmental and Social Sustainability because potential adverse environmental or social risks and/or impacts are limited, few in numbers, site-specific, largely reversible and readily addressed through mitigating measures.

IFC’s appraisal considered the environmental and social management planning process and documentation for the Project and gaps, if any, between these and IFC’s requirements. Where necessary, corrective measures, intended to close these gaps within a reasonable period of time, are summarized in the paragraphs that follow and (if applicable) in an agreed Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP). Through implementation of these measures, the Project is expected to be designed and operated in accordance with Performance Standards objectives.

Environmental and Social Assessment and Management System

The Sponsor hired an external consultant in 2009 to conduct the original environmental and social assessment of the first phase of the project and to develop an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) to meet the requirements of the Ghana Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the IFC Performance Standards. The same consultant as for the previous phases of the project is assisting the Ashesi team since the beginning of the project on all E&S related questions. The consultant is reliable and proactive in term of proposing innovative solutions to the staff. For this new phase, EPA requested an update of the ESIA to include an assessment of the impacts associated with the construction of the new assets. The client will finalize the updated ESIA and follow up on the validation process with the Ghanaian EPA to comply with the national legislation in place in accordance with ESAP Item # 1. IFC received an Environmental and Social Assessment report in February 2017. The document is an update of the original ESIA that was developed in 2009. It highlights the main impacts associated with the new phase of the project and proposes mitigation measures and assign responsibilities, providing an appropriate and up to scale answer to the risks associated with the project.

In compliance with their internal environmental policy and as part of the development of its Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS), Ashesi developed a program of mitigation and performance improvement measures that covers the expansion project’s impacts and risks identified in the updated ESIA and which can be applied throughout the life of the project. As part of this program, Ashesi developed an Environmental and Social Corrective Action Plan (CAP). The CAP was developed based on the Supplemental Action Plan (SAP) agreed with IFC as part of the first project, and include any identified actions that needed to comply with the IFC Performance Standards, applicable World Bank Group  Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) guidelines, and the requirements of Ghana. The new actions related to this phase of the project were added to the Ashesi action plan in the environmental and social assessment report provided to IFC in February 2017. The plan will be updated annually to reflect campus expansion and further measures to reduce project social and environmental impacts that may be identified in the future.

Organizational Capacity, Competency, Monitoring and Review

Ashesi has an established management structure for E&S which includes, underneath the authority of the president of the University, a Sustainability Administrator. Ashesi’s Sustainability Administrator is responsible for the coordination of the ESMS, communication of the CAP to respective university communities, awareness creation, training and capacity building, and reporting to the Chairman of the EHS committee and feedback at University Staff meetings. The Head of Utilities is responsible for monitoring and reporting of energy and bore hole water supply and use, water harvesting supply, and biogas generation, sampling of water at various monitoring points, and biogas effluent for analysis and enforcing the standard operating practice (SOP) and maintenance of utility equipment for optimum efficiency performance. The Health Officer is responsible for OHS, and incident statistics monitoring and reporting. He is working together with colleagues in charge of the complains, grievance mechanism and communities relations as well as labor issues.

Students, staff and contractors are regularly trained on topics that includes orientation on the Environmental and Social Management System implemented by the University, as well as Emergency/Life and Fire Safety training, and drills. The Sustainability Administrator is responsible for developing and implementing the training program.

Community Engagement

Ashesi developed a grievance mechanism that is managed by the Grievance Committee, led by a committee manager, internal to the University. The committee allow the potentially affected communities to voice their grievances about the E&S performance of the project.

Representatives of the neighboring Berekuso community are part of the committee to allow for direct engagement with the affected people and fast resolution of the potential conflicts. This mechanism includes a procedure for ensuring that complaints are fairly and transparently treated and a response given within a defined time. Answers are provided in written form to the complainants by the committee. This mechanism will be extended to the new phase of the Project and the E&S information related to this phase (such as the CAP) shared with the communities. Ashesi will also make copies of this ESRS publicly available.

Ashesi’s Community Engagement Plan involves coordination, communications and engagement activities with stakeholders, particularly the residents of the village of Berekuso. The committee is also responsible for Ashesi’s corporate social responsibility programs.

Human Resources Policy and Workers Engaged by Third Parties

In 2016, Ashesi had 118 employees and 134 operational contractors working on site. As part of the previous phases, Ashesi developed a Human Resource (HR) policy that outlines its terms of employment and the standard grievance procedure for employees. It also includes a policy related to the minimum age of employees, the right to collective bargaining agreements, workers’ organizations, and non-discrimination and equal opportunity.

Gender equality is part of the philosophy of the project at the University for the Admission of new students and staff/administrative employees with some difficulties encountered to reach the goal in practices such as the engineering classes (40 % of females).

EHS, labor and working conditions requirements are included in the contractual obligations of the contractors, including those hired to construct the new project, consistent with IFC Performance Standard 2 and national labor law. Compliance with these requirements will be monitored by Ashesi and the safety officer is in charge of the supervision of the enforcement and monitoring. The same contractor should be hired for the construction phase of the extension project. As per the previous phase of the project implementation, they will be required to provide Ashesi with a Health and Safety (H&S) policy and management plan prior to the beginning of the construction.

Occupational Health and Safety

As part of the previous phases, Ashesi developed an occupational health and safety policy to mitigate the health hazards and tend towards a zero accidents/incidents performance. The programs include health and safety training programs, provision of personal protective equipment, maintenance of first aid kit and on site health center, referral arrangement with hospitals, provision of fire prevention and fighting facilities.  Ashesi also built an Emergency Isolation Center to respond to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa 2015. 

Ashesi identified the potential E&S impacts related to the construction of the new building in the Environmental and Social Assessment report (February 2017 version) and proposes mitigation measures to minimize and manage the risks. A short section is dedicated to the risks related to the construction safety. One of the main role of the safety officer will be to verify that the contractors developed an appropriate Health and Safety Plan that clearly identifies the risks related to safety at work on the construction site (job safety analysis), propose and implement the appropriate mitigation measures, based on the mitigation hierarchy (elimination, substitution, engineering control, work practice control and personal protective equipment) in accordance with ESAP Item # 2.

The safety manager will also verify that all workers on site (including contractors) are properly trained on the H&S procedures and for the specific tasks that they are performing.

Ashesi’s sustainability program that was developed since the first phase of the Project are aimed at water conservation, resource use efficiency and continuous environmental performance improvement. The key performance indicators are: (i) Sustainable consumption and production of drinking water by rain water harvesting; (ii) Recovery and use of nutrient-rich treated waste water for landscape irrigation and campus greening; and (iii) sustained on-site power/electricity production to supplement in adequate national grid power supply.

Waste management

Solid waste are being segregated at source into biodegradable organic waste (e.g., kitchen waste) and inorganic waste (e.g., metal, textile, paper). Ashesi constructed a biogas plant on its campus to treat organic waste that is generated. The installed capacity of the biogas plant has increased from 80 cubic meters to 400 cubic meters, representing a five-fold increase in capacity for 2015. The rate of delivery of treated waste water from the IBWT plant (biogas plant) indicates approximately 50,000 liters of reuse water per day. This will continue to increase with the population of the University projected to grow by 2020. The University has plans to implement the segregation, milling and charging of the organic fractions of raw kitchen waste (not cooked) into biogas plant digester to increase biogas generation, and significantly reduce the solid waste volume collected for disposal and third party waste disposal fees. Installed biogas compression system to improve management in the plant: Ashesi has installed the biogas compression plant procured for Phase II to handle the increase in biogas production. The system has improved capture, storage and supply at high pressure ranging 4-6 bars. Ashesi has a plan to install a biogas metering system to help in monitoring and quantifying of biogas generation for decision-making in alternative end-uses, namely power generation for lighting and pumps.

The solid waste collection agency has been replaced with a government accredited company with mechanized system and capabilities to handle 12 cubic meter community skip containers. This has been necessitated with the implementation of the expansion phases and projected population increase. The new system will also facilitate the program to weigh the municipal solid waste (MSW) bins; derive the average weight of MSW per bin; and compute the average density of waste generated, total waste generation and per capita waste generation and proportion of organic waste.

Resource efficiency

Ashesi decommissioned all the old diesel power generators and added new on-site generation capacity under the previous phase of the project. The high capacity utilization of the generators over the period, as a result of low grid power supply due to the national power crisis contributed to an increase in fuel consumption for on-site power generation. Notwithstanding the increased use of generators and cost of fuel, the unit cost of generation has therefore reduced significantly in 2015.

The degree of increase in diesel power generators in this extension phase will be significantly reduced by Ashesi’s renewable energy plan to increase solar energy penetration to 40-45 % of total power consumption projected to reach 1.1 million kWh.  Currently, student residence cluster B has solar water heaters incorporated into the power supply. 

Outcomes of discussions held during the IFC supervision visit in May 2016 included the need for Ashesi University to integrate other sources of renewable energy in the university’s on-site energy mix and it was agreed with Ashesi and integrated in the environmental and social assessment of the new phase of the Project. Ashesi is encouraged to consider particularly, solar and wind power in a future energy mix. The renewable component would reduce cost in the long term, achieve carbon emissions reduction and improve the University’s carbon footprint. The solar energy investment program is actively being considered under the current phase of the project.

Wastewater Treatment:

All wastewater and sewage are currently separated at source. The two streams: grey water and sewage are treated in the integrated bio-waste treatment (IBWT) plant. Treated wastewater is regularly sampled for laboratory analysis by the Water Research Institute of Ghana. The IBWT was expanded as part of the previous phase to cover the needs of the increase number of students. Upgraded IBWT plant achieved excellent reused waste water quality (WBG/IFC re-used waste water as well as Ghana EPA effluent discharge quality guidelines). The attained performance demonstrates the effectiveness of the higher capacity IBWT plant. Sand filters have also been installed in the plant which has improved the quality of the reused waste water.

Storm Water Drainage:

 Drains and culverts with inlet and outlet protection have been provided in previous phases that effectively manages storm water generated. They include velocity reduction, stone pits, use of swales and rock fill from excavations, which were effectively introduced in previous phases to reduce speed of surface water in open spaces and increased soaking into the ground; as well as  ground cover with greater drought resistance reducing watering requirements

Community Health and Safety

The main risk for the communities during the extension project is related to traffic increase in the village and associated access roads during the construction phase. As confirmed in the environmental and social assessment report (February 2017 version), Ashesi will implement a road safety awareness program prior to construction. The objective of the program will be to raise community awareness on the traffic increase and promote safe behavior on the road. The safety officer will also verify that the contractor in charge of the construction implements a safe driving awareness course for all drivers involved on the construction site in accordance with ESAP Item # 3.

Infrastructure Design and Safety: Life and Fire Safety

A Life and Fire Safety Master Plan was developed that identifies the major fire risks, applicable responses and proposes mitigation measures. This L&FS Master Plan was developed based on the recommendations of the campus fire audit report prepared for the construction by an independent consultant in 2014 and will be cascaded to the new phase of the Project.  The L&FS Master Plan consider Ghana’s local fire code and an international L&FS standard. The L&FS Master Plan allows Ashesi to organize fire drill and evacuation response training program for staff and students. The Ghana National and Fire Services undertake annual regulatory inspection and testing of the L&FS systems for the renewal of the L&FS Permit. Life and Fire Safety report are submitted to the Ghana National Fire Service for approval and permit. The design and construction of the extension phase will need to be assessed and audited against the requirement of the L&FS Master Plan by an independent auditor in accordance with ESAP Item # 4.

Ashesi conducts periodic inspection and testing of the L&FS equipment. In addition the emergency response plan include fire drills and an annual training program that has been consistently implemented since 2011. The inspection and testing program includes fire detection systems; electrical and mechanical systems fire hydrants and fire extinguishers.

Community Exposure to Disease

Ashesi also developed an Ebola response plan that included an isolation unit. The response from the students and staff to the plan in place was excellent. Annual HIV awareness programs are also proposed to the staff and students as well as a plan to manage malaria (no fatalities due to malaria were recorded since the opening of the campus).

Potable water

Potable water for the campus is obtained from two on-site boreholes as well as rainwater harvesting and is treated on-site to meet the WHO (World Health Organization) standards and supplied to all buildings and facilities by gravity. The best practice will be sustained in this extension Phase of the project.  Drinking water is sampled for laboratory analysis by the Water Research Institute of Ghana. The drinking water quality parameters consistently meet the WHO drinking water quality standards, as well as Ghana Standards Board maximum levels except for manganese levels which persistently ranged higher than the WBG/WHO guidelines. This has been an ongoing issue. The challenges were referred to the Water Research Institute for detailed research to investigate and address the non-compliance.

Security Personnel

 Ashesi uses private security personnel on site, who are not armed. No incidents related to security were reported during IFC past supervision activities.

Ashesi’s Community Engagement Plan involves coordination, communications and engagement activities with stakeholders, particularly the residents of the village of Berekuso.

The key impacts of the new project on the communities are related to the increase in traffic as a result of the movement and delivery of supplies to the site, as well as the potential of influx of workers in the village during the construction time.

Ashesi developed a grievance mechanism as described in PS1. Also previous ESRS has been publicly disclosed.  

Company: Ashesi University College

Point of Contact: Casper Annie

Title: Director of Logistics and Facilities

Telephone Number: +233 302 610 339

Email: cannie@ashesi.edu.gh

Mailing Address: PMB, CT3, Cantonment, Accra