The impact of mining on sustainable practices and the traditional culture of developing countries

Mining has played a part in the economic development of developed countries such as the USA, Canada and Australia. However, the mining economic growth connection varies considerably from that claimed in the historical analogy reasoning. It is not evident that these countries’ historical experience applies to modern developing nations due to modifications in the nature of the world economy. Some studies indicated that mineral resources in a developing country present a unique opportunity for its citizens to attain levels of socio-economic development equivalent to the first world. Ideally, through good governance practices, this could be realised without having to compromise their traditional and cultural integrity. In reality, though, the very opposite is normally true. There are varying definitions of sustainable development available. In the context of this paper, it defines sustainable development as ‘a means of development that does not compromise the traditional and cultural integrity of a people but works towards a better standard of living’. From a neutral perspective, this paper aims to critically evaluate issues relating to the impact mining has had on sustainable practices and the traditional culture of people in the developing world. This is achieved through an in-depth analysis of practical examples taken from Kenya, Zambia and Nigeria. This paper aims at providing a balanced, non-biased perspective of the common pros and cons of mining that can relate to developing countries in a generic sense. The issues elaborated in greater detail in this study relate to good/bad governance practices, corruption, child labour and spread of diseases.