IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/lauspo/v96y2020ics026483771931511x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

For the Environment: An Assessment of Recent Military Intervention in Informal Gold Mining Communities in Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Hilson, Gavin
  • Maconachie, Roy

Abstract

This article reflects critically on the impacts of the recent ban on artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) – low-tech, labour-intensive mineral extraction and processing – in Ghana. Government officials claimed that a ban was necessary because the country’s ASM activities, most of which are found in the informal economy, pose a serious threat to local waterbodies and that security forces were needed for its enforcement. It is argued here, however, that projecting the ban and associated military intervention as actions taken specifically to protect the environment has helped the government escape scrutiny over its choice of strategy to combat illegal mining. Perhaps more importantly, it has masked what may be the real reasons behind these moves: 1) to help the government regain control of the purchasing side of an ASM sector that is now heavily populated and influenced by foreigners; and 2) to put it in an improved position to demarcate parcels of land to the multinational mineral exploration and mining companies that supply it with significant quantities of revenue in the form of taxes, royalties and permit fees.

Suggested Citation

  • Hilson, Gavin & Maconachie, Roy, 2020. "For the Environment: An Assessment of Recent Military Intervention in Informal Gold Mining Communities in Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:96:y:2020:i:c:s026483771931511x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104706
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026483771931511X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.landusepol.2020.104706?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. World Bank, 2008. "Democratic Republic of Congo : Growth with Governance in the Mining Sector," World Bank Publications - Reports 8072, The World Bank Group.
    2. Hilson, Gavin & Sauerwein, Titus & Owen, John, 2020. "Large and artisanal scale mine development: The case for autonomous co-existence," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 130(C).
    3. Hilson, Gavin, 2017. "Shootings and burning excavators: Some rapid reflections on the Government of Ghana's handling of the informal Galamsey mining ‘menace’," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 109-116.
    4. Hilson, Gavin, 2019. "Why is there a large-scale mining ‘bias’ in sub-Saharan Africa?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 852-861.
    5. Tsikata, Fui S., 1997. "The vicissitudes of mineral policy in Ghana," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 23(1-2), pages 9-14, June.
    6. Jeffrey Davidson, 1993. "The transformation and successful development of small‐scale mining enterprises in developing countries," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 17(4), pages 315-326, November.
    7. Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai, 2017. "Competitive clientelism and the political economy of mining in Ghana," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series esid-078-17, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    8. Tschakert, Petra, 2016. "Shifting Discourses of Vilification and the Taming of Unruly Mining Landscapes in Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 123-132.
    9. Ayee, Joseph & Soreide, Tina & Shukla, G. P. & Le, Tuan Minh, 2011. "Political economy of the mining sector in Ghana," Policy Research Working Paper Series 5730, The World Bank.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Osei, Lydia & Yeboah, Thomas & Kumi, Emmanuel & Antoh, Ernestina Fredua, 2021. "Government's ban on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, youth livelihoods and imagined futures in Ghana," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    2. Kumah, Richard, 2022. "Artisanal and small-scale mining formalization challenges in Ghana: Explaining grassroots perspectives," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    3. Rejoice Selorm Wireko-Gyebi & Michael Osei Asibey & Owusu Amponsah & Rudith Sylvana King & Imoro Braimah & Godfred Darko & Anne Mette Lykke, 2020. "Perception of Small-Scale Miners on Interventions to Eradicate Illegal Small-Scale Mining in Ghana," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(4), pages 21582440209, October.
    4. Hilson, Gavin, 2020. "The ‘Zambia Model’: A blueprint for formalizing artisanal and small-scale mining in sub-Saharan Africa?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    5. Adu-Baffour, Ferdinand & Daum, Thomas & Birner, Regina, 2021. "Governance challenges of small-scale gold mining in Ghana: Insights from a process net-map study," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    6. Grant, J. Andrew & Wilhelm, Cindy, 2022. "A flash in the pan? Agential constructivist perspectives on local content, governance, and the large-scale mining–artisanal and small-scale mining interface in West Africa," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    7. Eduful, Michael & Alsharif, Kamal & Eduful, Alexander & Acheampong, Michael & Eduful, Joyce & Mazumder, Lubana, 2020. "The Illegal Artisanal and Small-scale mining (Galamsey) ‘Menace’ in Ghana: Is Military-Style Approach the Answer?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    8. Clifford Amoako & Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa & Kofi Appiah Koranteng, 2023. "Survival now, sustainability later: the emerging artisanal mining and the dying agricultural livelihoods in the Akyem Abuakwa traditional area of Ghana," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(2), pages 1645-1666, February.
    9. Wireko-Gyebi, Rejoice Selorm & Asibey, Michael Osei & Baah-Ennumh, Theresa Yaaba, 2022. "Planning for the effective and sustainable management of Ghana’s artisanal small-scale gold mining industry," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    10. Osman, Adams & Owusu, Martin Tabi & Anu, Stephen Kwame & Essandoh, Sampson & Aboansi, Justice & Abdullai, Dennis, 2022. "Ban on artisanal mining in Ghana: Assessment of wellbeing, party affiliation and voting pattern of miners in Daboase, Western Region," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hilson, Gavin, 2020. "The ‘Zambia Model’: A blueprint for formalizing artisanal and small-scale mining in sub-Saharan Africa?," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    2. Fernando Morante-Carballo & Néstor Montalván-Burbano & Maribel Aguilar-Aguilar & Paúl Carrión-Mero, 2022. "A Bibliometric Analysis of the Scientific Research on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-29, July.
    3. Lawer, Eric Tamatey & Lukas, Martin C. & Jørgensen, Stig H., 2017. "The neglected role of local institutions in the ‘resource curse’ debate. Limestone mining in the Krobo region of Ghana," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 43-52.
    4. Pereira, Vijay & Tuffour, James & Patnaik, Swetketu & Temouri, Yama & Malik, Ashish & Singh, Sanjay Kumar, 2021. "The quest for CSR: Mapping responsible and irresponsible practices in an intra-organizational context in Ghana’s gold mining industry," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 268-281.
    5. Bainton, Nicholas & Owen, John R. & Kenema, Simon & Burton, John, 2020. "Land, labour and capital: Small and large-scale miners in Papua New Guinea," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    6. Hilson, Gavin, 2019. "Why is there a large-scale mining ‘bias’ in sub-Saharan Africa?," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 852-861.
    7. Hook, Andrew, 2019. "The multidimensionality of exclusion in the small-scale gold mining sector in Guyana: Institutional reform, landlordism, and mineral uncertainty," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 1-1.
    8. Grant, J. Andrew & Wilhelm, Cindy, 2022. "A flash in the pan? Agential constructivist perspectives on local content, governance, and the large-scale mining–artisanal and small-scale mining interface in West Africa," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    9. Wireko-Gyebi, Rejoice Selorm & Asibey, Michael Osei & Baah-Ennumh, Theresa Yaaba, 2022. "Planning for the effective and sustainable management of Ghana’s artisanal small-scale gold mining industry," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    10. Issah Baddianaah & Bernard Nuoleyeng Baatuuwie & Raymond Adongo, 2023. "Local perspectives on the adverse environmental effects and reclamation of illegally mined degraded landscapes in North-western Ghana," Mineral Economics, Springer;Raw Materials Group (RMG);Luleå University of Technology, vol. 36(1), pages 139-155, January.
    11. Adu-Baffour, Ferdinand & Daum, Thomas & Birner, Regina, 2021. "Governance challenges of small-scale gold mining in Ghana: Insights from a process net-map study," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    12. Holley, Elizabeth A. & Smith, Nicole M. & Delgado Jimenez, Jeison Alejandro & Cabezas, Isabel Casasbuenas & Restrepo-Baena, Oscar Jaime, 2020. "Socio-technical context of the interactions between large-scale and small-scale mining in Marmato, Colombia," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    13. Tuokuu, Francis Xavier Dery & Gruber, James S. & Idemudia, Uwafiokun & Kayira, Jean, 2018. "Challenges and opportunities of environmental policy implementation: Empirical evidence from Ghana's gold mining sector," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 435-445.
    14. Hilson, Gavin & Van Bockstael, Steven & Sauerwein, Titus & Hilson, Abigail & McQuilken, James, 2021. "Artisanal and small-scale mining, and COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa: A preliminary analysis," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 139(C).
    15. Alex Osei-Kojo & Nathan Andrews, 2020. "A developmental paradox? The “dark forces” against corporate social responsibility in Ghana’s extractive industry," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 22(2), pages 1051-1071, February.
    16. Hilson, Gavin & Mondlane, Salvador & Hilson, Abigail & Arnall, Alex & Laing, Tim, 2021. "Formalizing artisanal and small-scale mining in Mozambique: Concerns, priorities and challenges," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    17. Kumah, Richard, 2022. "Artisanal and small-scale mining formalization challenges in Ghana: Explaining grassroots perspectives," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    18. Camba, Alvin, 2021. "The unintended consequences of national regulations: Large-scale-small-scale relations in Philippine and Indonesian nickel mining," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    19. Deberdt, Raphael, 2022. "Land access rights in minerals’ responsible sourcing. The case of cobalt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    20. Hilson, Gavin, 2002. "Harvesting mineral riches: 1000 years of gold mining in Ghana," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(1-2), pages 13-26.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:96:y:2020:i:c:s026483771931511x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joice Jiang (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/land-use-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.