Turbidity is the major water quality issue of asmaffected waters in ghana. Among developing countries facing expanding asgm, it arguably has the strongest network of active incountry researchers. Artisanal and smallscale production supply accounts for 80% of global sapphire, 20% of gold mining and up to 20% of diamond mining. Why do people engage in artisanal and smallscale mining asmlabourintensive mineral extraction and processing activityacross subsaharan africa. Revisiting child labour in the artisanal and smallscale. Exposure to mercury can have serious health impacts, including irreversible brain damage. Informal artisanal and smallscale mining asm is a major source of livelihood. As comparison between artisanal and smallscale mining in ghana and south africa. It is estimated that about million people work in artisanal and smallscale mining asm and an estimated 100 million people depend on it for their livelihood worldwide. Artisanal and smallscale mining formalization p168002. Photo of artisanal diamond miners digging a pit in ghana photo courtesy of peter chirico.
Faso artisanal mining the second largest employer after smallholder agriculture ghana. Comparison between artisanal and small scale mining in ghana. Asgm has many associated environmental and occupational health issues, particularly when. Integrated assessment of artisanal and smallscale gold. In ghana, like many developing countries, there is paucity of information on the causes and nature of the accidents that result in the injuries. In spite of its positive socioeconomic contributions, it is well known that artisanal mining of gold contributes in no small measure to land degradation, loss of biodiversity and natural resources, deforestation, water pollution, etc. An integrated assessment of artisanal and s gold mining in. Asm responsible for 80%90% of total gold and diamond. Artisanal and smallscale gold mining in ghana pubs. Artisanal and smallscale gold miners are confronted with numerous hazards often resulting in varying degrees of injuries and fatalities. Wilson 1, elisha renne 2,3, carla roncoli 4, peter agyeibaffour 5 and emmanuel yamoah tenkorang 6 1 department of epidemiology, school of public health, university of michigan, 1415 washington heights, ann arbor, mi 48109. Investigating the occupational health and safety issues.
An integrated assessment approach to address artisanal and. Pdf on sep 1, 2016, james mcquilken and others published artisanal and smallscale mining in ghana evidence to inform an action dialogue find, read and cite all the research you need on. This article critically examines this problem in the context of sub. Baseline information for the national action plan on. While the current boom is unprecedented globally, there have been other small rushes in recent history, such as one in 1984 driven. The causes, types, and outcomes of reported injuries were analyzed for 72 cases. The term artisanal mining is fairly new and reflects a changing perspective on what is still referred to as illegal mining in many countries.
Economic, political, social, regulatory, and technological factors drive informal asm. The characteristics of artisanal gold mining in manica are. Bolstered by historically high gold prices, a lack of viable alternative livelihoods, and a ready if expensive supply of mercury, there has been a resurgence of asgm activities in. The paper includes a case study of an informal asmaffected community located in the western region of ghana. The impact of expanding artisanal and smallscale mining on. Iieds first in a series of local multistakeholder dialogues on artisanal and smallscale mining asm started in ghana in autumn 2015. The issue of child labour in the artisanal and small. Analysis of the socioeconomic factors that contribute to.
Regulation of artisanal small scale gold mining asgm in. Pdf on sep 1, 2016, james mcquilken and others published artisanal and smallscale mining in ghana evidence to inform an action. Artisanal and small scale gold mining business plan 20. Understanding the livelihoods context of smallscale and artisanal. Investigating the occupational health and safety issues associated with smallscale and artisanal mining in ghana. In ghana, the regulation of artisanal gold mining is set forth in the smallscale gold mining law, 1989 pndcl 218. Under the legislation in force in mozambique, artisanal mining operations are those that are characterized by the rudimentary nature of the activity with the use of simple tools and equipment, reduced volume and scale mining operations. A rapid assessment toolkit, says that some african countries, such as the ghana and malawi, have more than 50% of women making up the artisanal and smallscale mining workforce. Comparison between artisanal and small scale mining in. Published by iied, august 2016 mcquilken, j and hilson, g 2016 artisanal and smallscale gold mining in ghana.
Artisanal and smallscale gold mining are livelihood activities with significant poverty reduction potential in developing countries like ghana. Ghana has the problem of school dropouts despite the governments efforts to lower the problem. During a visioning workshop on asm in april 2015, participants from around the world came together to discuss the pressing challenges and opportunities for asm, and which countries might benefit most from a locallydriven dialogue process. Preliminary study on artisanal and smallscale mining in. As in ghana and mali, artisanal gold mining in burkina faso has old roots, with archeological evidence pointing to extraction as far back as the 15 th century bohbot 2017. The situation is quite similar in tanzania, according to basic education statistic in tanzania report. The socioeconomic and environmental impacts of informal artisanal and smallscale mining asm in ghana are assessed in this paper. Pdf artisanal and smallscale mining in ghana evidence to inform. Final report 5 a second major outcome is a series of nearly 25 publications, most of which are in a special journal edition in the international journal of environmental research and public health. Artisanal and smallscale gold mining asgm in ghana. Informal asm poses significant threat to health, safety, security, and the environment. The entry of migrant artisanal miners has brought losers and winners in the.
The role of conflict minerals, artisanal mining, and. Funding for background research and publication of this paper was provided by uk aid for the uk government. Sep 10, 2019 the usaid artisanal mining and property rights usaid ampr projects main purpose is to address land and resource governance challenges around the artisanal and smallscale mining asm sector. To find out more information visit us at making extractives support the development of the local economy. Internationalisation of artisanal and small scale mining. Globally, more than 100 million people depend directly or indirectly on artisanal mining for their livelihoods 3,4. Artisanal gold mining in kejetia tongo, northern ghana. This paper argues that agricultural poverty, or hardship induced by an overdependency on farming for survival, has fuelled the recent rapid expansion of asm operations throughout the region. The precious minerals marketing corporation law, 1989 pndcl 219, set up the precious minerals marketing corporation pmmc to promote the development of smallscale gold and diamond mining in ghana and to purchase the output of such mining, either directly or through licensed. Pdf small scale mining continues to contribute significantly to the socioeconomic needs of ghana.
Informal gold mining, referred to as artisanal and smallscale gold mining asgm, has proliferated worldwide due to contemporary and powerful economic forces and widespread poverty across low and middleincome countries. Abstract the last few years have witnessed internationalisation of small scale mining in ghana. Drawing on the dfids sustainable livelihood framework, this paper explores the nexus between artisanal and smallscale mining asm and livelihood in prestea mining region, ghana. Pdf nexus between artisanal and smallscale gold mining. This subsector of mining is estimated to contribute about % of the worlds gold production and about 15% of the worlds nonfuel minerals. This artisanal and smallscale mining asm handbook for ghana is the result of a training session held in ghana in september 2017 through the subprogram on asm under the overall panafgeo project. Change, challenges and policy options roy maconachie university of bath, uk r.
An integrated assessment of artisanal and smallscale gold mining in ghana asgm. Field activities of usaid ampr take place mainly in the central african republic car, with a primary focus on diamonds and a secondary focus on gold. Twelve new studies from selected countries commissioned by mmsd bolivia, peru, ghana, malawi, mali, mozambique, tanzania, zambia, china. In many cases, artisanal miners exploit deposits that are too small for largescale industrial mining companies. They are also geographically and culturally different regions of ghana, which provided access to a wider range of informative perspectives. Nexus between artisanal and smallscale gold mining and. This situation is not different from the happenings in ghana where the small scale artisanal sector employs about 300,000 people most of whom are stark illiterates and employ very primitive. Socioeconomic and environmental assessment of informal. Pdf nexus between artisanal and smallscale gold mining and.
In the artisanal and smallscale asm gold mining sector of ghana, it is estimated that of the 30,00050,000 asm miners in ghana, 10,000 are children working in hazardous conditions that put their health and survival at risk keehn, 2010. Genesis of artisanal gold mining in manica district the company manica gold mines alma. The environmental impacts of smallscale mining in ghana are then detailed, along with the landuse disputes that have occurred in. Semimechanized and mechanized operations are characterized by the use of excavators, jaw crushers, hammer mills, ball mills and modified corn mills. This artisanal and smallscale mining asm handbook for ghana is the result of a training session held in. Admittedly though, this potential is undermined by many factors. Artisanal and smallscale gold mining and health vi foreword millions of people in the developing world depend on artisanal and smallscale gold mining asgm for their livelihoods. The impact of expanding artisanal and smallscale mining. Mining methods are mainly shallow alluvial, deep alluvial and. Artisanal gold mining in ghana gavin hilson lecturer in environmental planning at the school of city and regional planning, cardiff university glamorgan building, king edward vii avenue, cardiff cf10 3wa, wales, uk, and a research associate at the esrc centre for business relationships. Pdf artisanal mining of gold with mercury in ghana dennis.
Alternative techniques include many options for concentrating. Most of ghanas artisanal and small scale mining asm activity occurs in the diamonds and gold sectors, though there is also asm activity in other lowvalue andor industrial and construction mineral sectors, like clay, limestone, and salt. In spite of its positive socio economic contributions, it is well known that artisanal mining. The paper examines the environmental impact of artisanal mining of gold with mercury hg in ghana. While small in scale, asm can be an important economic activity from which governments can benefit. The study was commissioned by open society foundation osf for south africa. Artisanal and smallscale gold mining asgm has long been practiced in nigeria and around the world. Saharan africa, where a lack of formal sector employment opportunities andor the need to provide financial support to their impoverished families has led tens of thousands of children to. Artisanal and smallscale mining occurs in approximately 80 countries worldwide. Official pdf, 9 pages world bank documents world bank group.
There are approximately 100 million artisanal miners globally. Agricultural poverty and the expansion of artisanal. From a development perspective, artisanal and smallscale mining is one of the most complex economic sectors of ghana, but the extent of this type of mining is very difficult to quantify and a clear. Artisanal and smallscale mining is also the source of the largest releases of mercury, estimated at 1,400 tonnes per year in 2011 according to the minamata convention. Ghana, mining, mineral products, impact, economy 1. Nexus between artisanal and smallscale gold mining and livelihood in the prestea mining region, ghana. Pdf artisanal mining of gold with mercury in ghana. Integrated assessment of artisanal and smallscale gold mining in ghana part 3. Sep 02, 2015 the study was a retrospective, cross sectional type that examined the records of injuries of artisanal and smallscale gold miners presented to the emergency department of a district hospital in the eastern region of ghana from 2006 to 20. Agricultural poverty and the expansion of artisanal mining.
The artisanal mining practices mainly employs manual methods by using simple equipment like shovels, pickaxes, pans, chisels and hammers. Mercury and marginalization in ghanas artisanal mining sector petra tschakert a, kamini singha b a department of geographyalliance for earth sciences, engineering, and development in africa aeseda, pennsylvania state university, 315 walker building, university park, pa 168025011, usa. Influence of land tenure practices on artisanal mining. In some cases, this excess mercury approaches 90% of the total in use.
Opportunities and challenges, ghana mining journal, vol. The problems of artisanal gold mining in manica province. Pdf artisanal and smallscale mining in ghana evidence to. Final report 4 contemporary borders by nearly years. Injuries among artisanal and smallscale gold miners in ghana. Child labour in african artisanal mining communities. Whole ore amalgamation dramatically increases the potential for the mercury that is used to be released to the environment. Over the past few decades, attempts by governments in subsaharan africa to regulate or formalize asm as a result of the sectors increasing socioeconomic and environmental importance have largely been unsuccessful.
Ghana artisanal and smallscale gold mining scoping mission. This paper examines the issue of land tenure and how it influences artisanal and smallscale mining asm activity in ghana. As in ghana and mali, artisanal gold mining in burkina faso has old roots, with archeological evidence pointing to extraction as far back as the 15th century bohbot 2017. Macdonald1, mark lund1, melanie blanchette1, clint mccullough2. The world bank in its gender dimensions of artisanal and smallscale mining. The usaid artisanal mining and property rights usaid ampr projects main purpose is to address land and resource governance challenges around the artisanal and smallscale mining asm sector. Pdf artisanal and smallscale mining in ghana evidence. Artisanal mining in africa photos of mining pits by hugh.
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