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Effects of the government's ban in Ghana on women in artisanal and small-scale gold mining

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  • Zolnikov, Tara Rava

Abstract

Artisanal and small-scale gold mining operations have been conducted in Ghana for centuries. Over time, technological advances in the industry occurred and miners separated from large-scale mining and applied this knowledge to small-scale or individual mining practices. In March 2017, the government responded to a media campaign against environmental degradation and placed a ban against water pollution; this ban affected all informal gold mining operations because of the chronic use of mercury in gold extraction, which contributes to water contamination. The unintended consequences of this ban were that approximately 1 million people lost their jobs. A qualitative study was conducted to understand how small-scale gold mining affected female miners and in turn, the implications of the ban on these women and their families. There were 21 illegal female miners interviewed in Akwatia, Ghana. The results from this study confirmed that many female miners used their mining money to support their families. Because the ban blocked mining employment opportunities, the women were forced into unreliable and low-paying alternative jobs and were unable to pay for school fees and food. Unfortunately, while the ban may have improved the environment, it also contributed to adverse outcomes related to women and children's development, like inadequate nutritional needs and school dropout rates; thus, bans like this need to be reconsidered and readapted to address these immeasurable consequences.

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  • Zolnikov, Tara Rava, 2020. "Effects of the government's ban in Ghana on women in artisanal and small-scale gold mining," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 65(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:65:y:2020:i:c:s030142071930279x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2019.101561
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    Cited by:

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    2. Osei, Lydia & Yeboah, Thomas & Kumi, Emmanuel & Antoh, Ernestina Fredua, 2021. "Government's ban on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, youth livelihoods and imagined futures in Ghana," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    3. Issah Baddianaah & Bernard Nuoleyeng Baatuuwie & Raymond Adongo, 2023. "Local perspectives on the adverse environmental effects and reclamation of illegally mined degraded landscapes in North-western Ghana," Mineral Economics, Springer;Raw Materials Group (RMG);Luleå University of Technology, vol. 36(1), pages 139-155, January.
    4. Nunoo, Isaac & Boansi, David & Owusu, Victor, 2023. "Does the use of cocoa farmlands for artisanal small-scale gold mining really increase household food insecurity? Evidence from Ghana," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(PA).
    5. Arthur-Holmes, Francis & Abrefa Busia, Kwaku, 2020. "Household dynamics and the bargaining power of women in artisanal and small-scale mining in sub-Saharan Africa: A Ghanaian case study," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    6. Arthur-Holmes, Francis & Abrefa Busia, Kwaku & Katz-Lavigne, Sarah, 2023. "‘We don't joke with our money’: Gender-based occupational segregation and women's remuneration negotiations in artisanal and small-scale mining," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    7. Sesele, Kentse & Marais, Lochner & van Rooyen, Deidre, 2021. "Women and mine closure: A case study of policy in South Africa," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    8. Paschal, Makungu & Kauangal, Jignesh, 2023. "Women position in artisanal and small-scale mining in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic literature review," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    9. Bansal, Sanchita & Nangia, Priya & Singh, Shifali & Cichoń, Dariusz, 2024. "Where's our share: Agenda for gender representation in mining industry," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    10. Osman, Adams & Owusu, Martin Tabi & Anu, Stephen Kwame & Essandoh, Sampson & Aboansi, Justice & Abdullai, Dennis, 2022. "Ban on artisanal mining in Ghana: Assessment of wellbeing, party affiliation and voting pattern of miners in Daboase, Western Region," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).

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