"Unearthing the Impacts: Illegal Mining's Toll on Formal Employment and Job Creation"

Yeboah, Samuel (2023): "Unearthing the Impacts: Illegal Mining's Toll on Formal Employment and Job Creation".

Abstract

This systematic review examines the impacts of illegal mining on formal employment, and job creation. Through a comprehensive analysis of relevant literature, the study explores the displacement of formal mining activities, job losses, and the indirect economic consequences of illegal mining. The review assesses existing policies and initiatives, identifies gaps in knowledge, and proposes future research directions. The findings emphasize the need for effective enforcement, policy interventions promoting formalization, and international cooperation to address the negative effects of illegal mining on employment. The study contributes to a better understanding of the issue and provides insights for policymakers, industry stakeholders, and researchers.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Illegal mining, formal employment, job creation, displacement, economic consequences, policy interventions, formalization, enforcement, international cooperation
• Subjects: Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q1 - Agriculture > Q17 - Agriculture in International Trade; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q3 - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation > Q32 - Exhaustible Resources and Economic Development; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q3 - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation > Q34 - Natural Resources and Domestic and International Conflicts; Q - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics ; Environmental and Ecological Economics > Q3 - Nonrenewable Resources and Conservation > Q38 - Government Policy

References

Aboka, E. Y, Jerry, C. S., & Dzigbodi, D. A. (2018). Review of Environmental and Health Impacts of Mining in Ghana. J Health Pollut., 8(17), 43-52. doi 10.5696/2156-9614-8.17.43.

Adu, K. O., Amponsah S., & Osei A. A. (2016). “Factors influencing participation in illegal mining in Ghana: A case of Denkyira Corridor”. University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.

Aghetara, J. B. (2012). Effects of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining on the Environment and Livelihood in Ghana: A Case Study of Selected Mining Communities in the Upper East REgion. MSc. thesis. Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi.

Agyemang, I. (2010). Population Dynamics and Health Hazards of Small-Scale Mining Activity in the Bolgatanga and Talensi-Nabdam Districts of the Upper East Region of Ghana. Indian Journal of Science and Technology, 3(10), 1113-1120.

Antwi-Boasiako, A. (2003). “Proliteration of Surface Mining in Ghana: A Threat or a Blessingto the Poor in the Minning Areas in Ghana: A Study of Tarkwa Mining Area”, Sweden, pp. 12, available at: http://www.lumes.lu.se/html/batch_6

Arah, I. K. (2015). “The impact of small-scale gold mining on mining communities in Ghana” African Studies Association and the Pacific (AFSAAP), 37TH Annual Conference- New Zealand

Arhin, P., Erdiaw-Kwasie, M. O., & Abunyewah, M. (2022). Displacements and livelihood resilience in Ghana's mining sector: The moderating role of coping behaviour. Resources Policy, 78, 102820.

Boadi, S., Nsor, C. A., Antobre, O. O., & Acquah, E. (2016). An analysis of illegal mining on the Offin shelterbelt forest reserve, Ghana: Implications on community livelihood. Journal of Sustainable Mining, 15(3), 115-119.

Burrows, E., & Bird, L. (2017). Gold, guns and China: Ghana’s fight to end galamsey displaced small scale miners in Ghana. Resour. Pol. 74, 102291. https://globalinitiative.net/analysis/gold-guns-and-china-ghanas-fight-to-end-galamsey/ https://ssrn.com/abstract=1532819 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1532819

Hilson, G. (2002). The environmental impact of small-scale gold mining in Ghana: Identify problems and possible solutions. Geographical Journal, 168(1), 57-72.

Hilson, G., 2016. Farming, small-scale mining and rural livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa: A critical overview. Extr. Ind. Soc. 3, 547-563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. exis.2016.02.003.

Hilson, G., Pardie, S., 2006. Mercury: an agent of poverty in Ghana’s small-scale gold mining sector? Resour. Pol. 31, 106-116.

Hunter, M. (2019), “Illicit financial flows: artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Ghana and Liberia”, OECD Development Co-operation Working Papers, No 72 OECD Publishing, Paris.

Isung, C. B. (2021). The socio-economic implications of artisanal and small-scale mining on mining communities in northern Ghana. Open Acess. Lib. J., 8(3), 1-17.

Khan, G. D., Yoshida, Y., Katayanagi, M., Hotak, N., & Caro-Burnett, J. (2021). Mining-induced displacement and resettlement in Afghanistan's Aynak mining community: exploring the right to fair compensation. Resour. Pol.,74, 1-12. 102285

Mabe, F. N., Owusu-Sekyere, E., Theophilus, O. (2021). Livelihood coping strategies among displaced small-scale miners in Ghana. Resources Policy, 74(C), 102291.

McQuilken, J., & Hilson, G. (2016). Artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Ghana. Evidence to inform an ‘action dialogue’. IIED, London.

Owusu, O., Bansah, K. J., & Mensah, A. K (2019). “Small in size, but big in impact”: socioenvironmental reforms for sustainable artisanal and small-scale mining. Journal of Sustainable Mining, 18, 38-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsm.2019.02.001

Patel, K., Rogan, J., Cuba, N., Bebbington, A. (2016). Evaluating conflict surrounding mineral extraction in Ghana: Assessing the spatial interactions of large and small-scale mining. Extr. Ind. Soc. 3, 450-463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. exis.2016.01.006.

Redehey, B. G. (2017). Youth in artisanal gold mining: risks and opportunities; the case of Asgede Tsimbla Woreda, Northwestern Tigray national regional state, Ethiopia. Int. NGO J. 12(3), 22-28.

Sarfo-Mensah, P., Adjaloo, M. K., & Donkor, P. (2010). Youth Unemployment Challenges in Mining Areas of Ghana. FEEM Working Paper No. 122.2009

Tom-Dery, D., Dagben, Z. J., & Cobbina, S. J. (2012). Effect of illegal small-scale mining operations on vegetation cover of arid northern Ghana. Research Journal of Environmental and Earth Sciences, 4(6), 674e679.

Tuokuu, F. X. D., Idemudia, U., Bawelle, E. B. G., Sumani, J. B. B. (2020). Criminalization of “galamsey” and livelihoods in Ghana: Limits and consequences. Nat. Resour. Forum 44(1), 52-65. https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-8947.12189.

Wilson, M., Renne, E., Roncoli, C., Agyei-Baffour, P., & Tenkorang, E. (2015). Integrated Assessment of Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Ghana-Part 3: Social Sciences and Economics. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(7), 8133-8156. MDPI AG. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120708133

Yankson, P. W. K., Gough, K.V. (2019). Gold in Ghana: The effects of changes in large-scale mining on artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). Extr. Ind. Soc. 6, 120-128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exis.2018.09.009.

Yiridomoh, G. Y. (2021). “Illegal” Gold Mining Operations in Ghana: Implication for Climate-Smart Agriculture in Northwestern Ghana. Front. Sustain. Food Syst. 5, 745317. doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2021.745317