Informal artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Ghana: Assessing environmental impacts, reasons for engagement, and mitigation strategies

Abstract

The informal artisanal and small-scale mining (ASGM) sector in Ghana has been engrossed with grave environmental challenges and practices. Whereas some ideologies call for its perpetual banning, others believe efficient reformation of the sector is rather required. This study sought to assess the impacts of informal ASGM on the environment and the root causes of why these illegal mining activities are very prevalent after several attempts to formalize or ban them. It further sought to assess the mitigation measures to reduce their footprint for sustainable mineral extraction. A semi-structured interview guide, field observations, and sampling were used to obtain relevant data for further analysis. Results indicated that informal ASGM had detrimental impacts on water and soil resources. Although the miners were aware of the detrimental effects of their activities, the desire for basic life necessities for their families and survival remained their priority than the conservation of the environment. It was further revealed that the lack of sustainable alternative sources of livelihood, the general economic hardship and unemployment, the “quick and easy” way of making money in informal ASGM, and the political influence in the sector remains a major driving force for illegal mining in Ghana. So far as the cost of “action” on sustainable practices in ASGM is comprehended more than the benefits of reducing the adverse impacts, interventions for better practices will not be supported even at the government level. Purely political solutions will not fix what is basically an economic problem. This study, therefore, calls for broader and continual stakeholder engagements in developing workable policies that will not seek to outrightly criminalize informal mining but help improve it. This study recommends that informal ASGM should be harnessed to bring economic prosperity to stakeholder's rather than to be treated as an evil venture. The provision of sustainable alternative jobs, preferably in the mining sector, is encouraged to help reduce active participation in this illicit activity. Right technological, finance, and technical skills investments can be key to achieving this.