An Introduction to the Strategic Environmental Assessment of the Integrated Transport Plan of Ghana Essay

The Strategic Environmental Assessment ( sea) of the Integrated Transport Plan (ITP) is one of the main components of the Transport Sector Planning and consolidation Programme (TSPIP), which is go fored by the European Union.The other components of the TSPIP are A head welkin integration plan that provides the strategic framework and action plans to support the serve up of channel integration in Ghana over the short, medium and long-term (provisionally 5, 10 and 20 years) A set of indicators enabling the sector to varan its performance Technical assistance to improve sector public finance management Technical assistance to support policy implementation and planning in the sector Capacity Building at the Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Roads & Highways.The TSPIP is expected to provide a sound planning framework for the transport sector, informing the sectors service and investment priorities, meeting the needs stemming from economic development, regional inte gration and social cohesion, as defined in the national development agendum and at ECOWAS level.On 22nd December 2008, M/s Mott MacDonald Ltd, in association with Municipal Development Collaborative Ltd, was awarded the contract to carry out the SEA of the Integrated Transport Plan. The study is being carried out under the supervision of the Ministry of Roads & Highways.Focus of SEA of the ITPThe overall objective of the SEA of the ITP is to mainstream environmental considerations into transport sector planning. The term environment in relation to this SEA covers the natural, physical, socio-economic, socio-cultural and institutional environments in which decisions are made (ref. SEA of GPRS, 2004)The specific objective of the SEA is to dole out the environmental issues associated with the Integrated Transport Plan.The SEA study will deliver the following An assessment of the potentially significant environmental issues arising out of the proposed ITP An assessment of the opportu nities to embolden/enhance environmental conditions and risks that lead to unsustainable outcomes Recommendations for mitigating or complementary measures.The SEA approach will involve significant stakeholder consultation throughout the process, identifying problems, issues and alternatives, as well as mitigation measures. The added benefit of this approach is that it will provide an element of capacity building among all the stakeholders involved and will contribute to inter-ministerial and inter-departmental cooperation.In the absence of buckram regulatory guidance for SEA in Ghana, this SEA is guided by current Ghana EPA practices and procedures, the EU SEA Directive, and the Transport Analysis Guidance unit 2.11 on Strategic Environmental Assessment for Transport Plans and Programmes (December 2004), as well as OECD SEA Guidelines (2006).Inception PhaseThe Inception phase was carried out in Feburary and March 2009. The inception phase activities included reviewing data and r eports in order to be able to fully understand the current situation with regard to the transport sector and any proposed future plans, and reviewing and describing the institutional, legal and regulatory framework applicable to the transport sector and the strategic environmental assessment.The Inception Report was submitted in premature March. The report highlighted changes to the approach and workplan for the SEA necessitated by the status of the progress of the preparation of the Integrated Transport Plan. The report also noted discrepancies and deviations, and proposed a way anterior to enable the SEA to deliver recommendations to ensure that the overall sustainability of the TSPIP.The SEA ProcessThe process of the SEA of the ITP will entail the following phases Scoping Analysis Environmental strategy and ReportingAll the above will involve a series of stakeholder workshops and focus group discussions to promote buy-in and ownership by the stakeholders and provide the need ed feedback to the ITP process and outputs.