Governing the artisanal gold mining sector in the Mano River Union: A comparative study of Liberia and Sierra Leone

Abstract

This paper contributes to the growing literature on the dynamics and governance challenges of artisanal mining in sub‐Saharan Africa. It examines the artisanal gold mining sector in Liberia and Sierra Leone, two neighboring post‐war countries with extensive informal economies in the gold mining sector. This comparative case study explores factors that help reveal governance struggles, including the informality of the sector, the multiplicity of actors, ineffective monitoring, and gold price differences. It underscores the informality of the sector as a more pronounced problem that offers opportunities for corruption, smuggling of gold, human rights abuses, and exploitation.

Gold and Diamond Artisanal Mining in Liberia: Under the Umbrella of In(Formality)?

“…Additionally, ineffective monitoring systems do not provide any incentives for the miners to comply with regulations. Those responsible for mining law enforcement are the first to encourage informal arrangements, as they often lack resources to perform their official duties (Van Bockstael, 2014;Kalokoh and Kochtcheeva, 2022). It follows that any formalization initiative needs to prioritize solutions to these impeding challenges in order to succeed.…”

“…In the case of Liberia, it is particularly evident that research has been focused on artisanal diamond extraction only, despite gold mining's growing importance Van Bockstael, 2011, 2012;Van Bockstael, 2014;Maconachie and Conteh, 2020;Kalokoh and Kochtcheeva, 2022). So little is known about artisanal gold mining in the country that the World Bank's knowledge repository for ASM has made gathering more information on this sector one of its main goals (Ndagano et al, 2021).…”

Contested concept, competing narratives, and coercive policy intervention: A study of government intervention in the illegal artisanal mining sector in Ghana

“…Therefore, the government needs to address the economic needs of these miners if it hopes to secure their cooperation. Third, the research raises the larger issue of an understanding of the general governance of extractive industries (Kalokoh & Kochtcheeva, 2022). Conflicts and violence have marked extractive industries in developing countries.…”

“…There has been an explosive growth of artisanal small‐scale mining (ASM), including illegal ASM across sub‐Saharan Africa in the last decade partly in response to the astronomical rise in gold prices (Kalokoh & Kochtcheeva, 2022), high unemployment (Hilson, 2017), economic displacement, and marginalization of small‐scale miners by corporations, and governments, amongst others (Afriyie et al, 2016; Hilson & Hu, 2022).…”