Poverty traps in small-scale mining communities: the case of sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

This article critically reflects on why, in many rural stretches of sub-Saharan Africa, scores of people engage in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) activity – low-tech, labour-intensive mineral extraction – for lengthy periods of time. It argues that a large share of the region's ASM operators have mounting debts which prevent them from pursuing alternative, less arduous, employment. The article concludes with an analysis of findings from research carried out by the author in Talensi-Nabdam District, Northern Ghana, which captures the essence of the poverty trap now plaguing so many ASM communities in sub-Saharan Africa.

Résumé Ce travail reflète de façon critique sur les activités d'extraction artisanale dans les régions rurales de l'Afrique subsaharienne – de type traditionnel et rigoureux pendant des périodes de longue durée. Il est constaté que la plupart de ces participants possèdent une si grande dette qu'elle les entrave à poursuivre d'autres formes d'emploi moins rigoureuses. Ce travail conclue avec une analyse des résultats d'une recherche menée par l'auteur dans le district de Talensi-Nabdam, situé dans le nord du Ghana. Ces conclusions démontrent les pièges de la pauvreté caractérisant plusieurs communautés dans l'Afrique subsaharienne.

Keywords:

• artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM)
• poverty
• livelihoods
• sub-Saharan Africa

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Mr Wilson Zoogah, ‘Atta’ and ‘Kwame’ for their assistance with fieldwork. The author would also like to thank two anonymous reviewers and the editor for their constructive feedback on a previous draft of this manuscript. Financial support for this research was provided by the British Academy under the project Livelihood Diversification and Poverty Traps in West African Artisanal Mining Communities (SG-90614). Needless to say, any errors this article may contain are the sole responsibility of the author.

Notes

An independent, two-year research project of the UK's International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) which examined how the mining sector could contribute to sustainable development.

Jul-Larsen et al. (2006) report that in 2000 output was in the range of 60 tonnes. Production has since hovered at approximately the same level: in 2010, it was still considerably high at 52.4 tonnes, making the country Africa's third-largest gold producer.

For a brief period (1939–1944), a German geological group was conducting exploration activity in the area, but it was forced to abandon its work during World War II.

The capital of the Upper East Region. In 2004, Talensi-Nabdam was established as a district, ‘carved’ from Bolgatanga District.

The Minerals Commission is the main promotional and regulatory body of the mining sector in Ghana.

See Ghana Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and Maks Publications & Media Services (2006).

At the time when this research was undertaken, in May 2010, the conversion rate was 1.4 Ghana cedis (GH¢) to US$1.

A portion of their ore – typically, one out of every three bags collected – is provided as payment for ‘leasing’ a section of a concession.

Translates into English as “I have no money.”

Known officially as ‘Suame Magazine’, it is an engineering cluster located in Kumasi, Ghana's second largest city. It is a two-mile-long epicentre of industrial activity, including metal fabrication and automotive repair.

An electrical device that converts direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC).