Mining, conflicts and livelihood struggles in a dysfunctional policy environment: the case of Wassa West District, Ghana

Abstract

This paper explores the impact of mining on the everyday lives of people in the Wassa West District, Western Region, Ghana. It is based on an interpretative methodology involving focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, complemented with an analysis of policy documents. The results reveal an extensive geographic transformation of livelihoods at various scales as a result of the local people being displaced from their lands that have become contested economic spaces. Monetary compensation for farmers who have lost their lands to mining companies remains a contentious issue, with farmers reporting that they are always at the losing end of any contestation for land and compensation. Furthermore, the local public perception is that there is hardly any trickle down of mining benefits to the local communities to improve their lives. After more than two decades of operation of various minerals and mining laws, our findings point to a conflicting and confused mining sector policy environment that disadvantages local communities. There is therefore a need to revise the country’s mining laws to reflect international best practices, to help make Ghana a sustainable mining investment destination in Africa, and to facilitate sustainable economic development in the country.

Keywords:

• mining conflicts
• foreign direct investment
• rural livelihoods
• Wassa West District
• resource paradox
• Ghana

Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the people and chiefs of Wassa West District, Ghana, for participating in this research. We would also like to thank the anonymous AGR reviewers for their extremely useful comments and suggestions on an earlier version of this manuscript.