Ghana카지노 게임 컬렉션�s illegal mining continues because the rules and reality are disconnected

By Richard Kwaku Kumah

Artisanal and small-scale mining 카지노 게임 컬렉션� a low-tech, indigenous mining subsector 카지노 게임 컬렉션� is taking on increasing economic importance in many developing countries. Over  worldwide are estimated to derive their livelihoods from this activity indirectly. In Ghana, it supports millions and  of the nation카지노 게임 컬렉션�s total gold production.

The sector employs over 1 million rural Ghanaians directly, while the upstream and downstream industries employ 4.5 million people, accounting for 60% of the country카지노 게임 컬렉션�s mining workforce. But artisanal and small-scale mining is also responsible for complex environmental challenges: destruction of land and vegetation and chemical contamination of water.

Ghana is one of the first countries in Africa to . Ghanaian mining codes not only recognise artisanal and small-scale mining as a legitimate livelihood source but also establish a framework aimed at formalising it.

So far, though, the regulation of artisanal and small scale mining in Ghana has been mostly unsuccessful. More than  still occur in the informal and illegal sector of the economy and remain largely unregulated.

As part of my PhD research I explored the , from the point of view of licensed and illegal miners. The study identified two key related factors that drive illegal mining in Ghana. First, the mines are transient but getting a mining licence is time-consuming. Second, the regulatory framework doesn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t take into account the diverse reality of operations. It is difficult for people to comply with rules that do not adapt to their conditions: they will seem irrelevant to them.

To effectively manage and control the activities of artisanal and small-scale mining, these factors must be considered.

Disconnect between rules and reality

I carried out fieldwork between December 2020 and May 2021 in three mining communities in Ghana: Wassa Akropong, Bogoso and Gbane. I conducted interviews with illegal miners and gold dealers, licensed miners, local land owners, government officials, NGOs and others.

The first finding was that informal local mines were transient and often operated on a subsistence basis. The miners lacked adequate capital and geo-prospecting knowledge.

According to local informants, the productive lifespan of most of these kinds of mines was 6 to 18 months. But the formal procedure to get a small-scale mining licence in Ghana can take up to three years. According to the Minerals Commission, this process should normally take three to four months. A major reason why many locals don카지노 게임 컬렉션�t apply for a licence is this disconnect. As one illegal miner puts it:

"to me, it doesn카지노 게임 컬렉션�t make sense to wait for three years for a licence to undertake a six-month project. I will rather hide and do my galamsey (illegal mining)."

The second problem is another kind of disconnect. The miners in this research were of diverse kinds but the rules are supposed to apply to all equally. The operators ranged from alluvial miners removing stream bed deposits to those mining hard rock for gold near the surface. They used a wide range of techniques, practices and forms of knowledge to extract and process minerals. Different miners therefore had different perceptions about the formal licensing requirements. For example, some did not think they required a licence to operate because their activities caused no destruction to water bodies.

Ghana카지노 게임 컬렉션�s key legal and regulatory instruments for small scale mining show that the sector is poorly defined and classified. Poor rural people panning for shallow alluvial gold with rudimentary tools are subject to the same permit procedures as operators with more sophisticated tools.

This generic regulatory framework fails to link the diverse types of the sector카지노 게임 컬렉션�s operations to appropriate levels and forms of control. Some of the sector카지노 게임 컬렉션�s most vulnerable operators can카지노 게임 컬렉션�t comply.

Reforming Ghana카지노 게임 컬렉션�s mining regulations

It is important to create a regulatory framework that makes all miners accountable and also enables them to formalise their operations.

The burdensome, costly and overly time-consuming licensing process needs reform.

This could mean devolving more small-scale mining decisions to local governmental agencies and different local stakeholders. Kenya has recently : counties and municipal authorities are empowered to issue mining licences through consultation with different local interest groups.

The reason local miners move their operations frequently lies in poverty and lack of education. So the regulatory frameworks should set up support for miners, including education and training, technical and financial support. This would enable miners to make investments to prolong the economic lifespan of local mines.

Policy reforms also need to reclassify Ghana카지노 게임 컬렉션�s artisanal and small-scale mining sector. This would result in more effective control and accountability measures. 카지노 게임 컬렉션�Small-scale카지노 게임 컬렉션� and 카지노 게임 컬렉션�artisanal카지노 게임 컬렉션� mining aren카지노 게임 컬렉션�t necessarily the same thing, so they may require different rules. In the DRC, for instance, artisanal mining is seen as an indigenous livelihood source where operators only require 카지노 게임 컬렉션�exploitation cards.카지노 게임 컬렉션� Cameroon also distinguishes between 카지노 게임 컬렉션�small mines카지노 게임 컬렉션� based on proven ore deposits and 카지노 게임 컬렉션�artisanal mines카지노 게임 컬렉션� worked with specified levels of technology.

Ghana카지노 게임 컬렉션�s framework should consider these differences if the fight against illegal mining is to be successful.

Note: This article originally appeared in .