The dynamics and livelihood implications of illegal mining in Ghana: A critical assessment

Abstract

Discourses on “illegal” or informal small‐scale mining (galamsey) have presented it largely as a menace. Using Ghana as the focus of our study, we present a counter‐narrative to the predominant discourse. Employing qualitative in‐depth interviews with 193 local galamsey operators, the study found that economic factors coupled with the combative posture of state regulatory agencies explain the persistence of illegal activity. Although galamsey is not problem‐free, the study revealed it is the livelihood support base of such communities, providing jobs and incomes to many households. Since mineral‐rich local communities, at least, in part, depend on galamsey, the state and its regulatory agencies could collaboratively work with local agencies and mineral‐rich communities to fully exploit the hidden treasures in galamsey while reducing the proximate negative effects.

Radical rest and recreation and their spatial permutations

“…Four original articles follow Steve’s contribution: serendipitously, three are about mining and its challenges in South Africa (Sesele & Marais, 2023), Ghana (Afriyie et al, 2023), and the Philippines (Ocampo & Schmitz, 2023). The last is a comparative analysis of Buddhist and Taoist sacred mountains in China and, like the others, but for very different reasons, I found it fascinating (Qiu et al, 2023).…”