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An in-depth analysis of the small-scale mining sector in West Africa, this volume examines its link with poverty, economic contribution and the dynamics of its operations and dependent communities. In recent decades, Africas poverty-driven artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector has attracted significant donor aid. To date, millions of dollars have been pledged toward the design, redesign and implementation of efficient equipment at sites, providing industry support services and improving the quality of life of subsistence operators. The majority of initiatives, however, have been undertaken without careful analysis of, and interaction with, target communities; consequently, there has been minimal improvement overall in a rapidly expanding industry in dire need of assistance. This book facilitates a radical change in the way in which policies and support services are implemented for ASM by underscoring the importance of improving understanding of the industry's population and industry dynamics. Focusing upon the Economic Community of the West African States, the book raises important questions concerning the general approach taken to deliver support for ASM and presents findings from community-based research, a key to strengthening industry policy and assistance.
FOREWORD by Ian Smillie, Partnership Africa Canada, Ottawa Introduction: Resuscitating the Policy and Research Agendas for Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Gavin M. Hilson 1. Section 1: Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in West Africa - An Overview of the Issue Gavin M. Hilson 2. Poverty and Economic Development in West Africa: An Historical Analysis Christopher J. Hilson 3. Poverty and Artisanal Mining in West Africa Gavin M. Hilson 4. Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in West Africa: An Overview of Sustainable Development and Environmental Issues Matthew Gibb 5.Mercury: An Agent of Poverty in West Africa's Small-Scale Gold Mining Industry Sandra Pardie and Gavin M. Hilson 6. Fostering cooperation between small- and large-scale gold miners in West Africa Richard K. Amankwah and C. Amin Sackey 7. Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in West Africa: Achieving Sustainable Development through Environmental and Human Rights Law Karen MacDonald 8. Section 2: Country Case Studies - Francophone West Africa Gavin M. Hilson 9. Artisanal Mining in Mali: An Overview of the Issues Dialla Konate 10. Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mines in Burkina Faso: Today and Tomorrow Eric Jacques et al. 11. Artisanal Gold Mining in Burkina Faso: Permits, Poverty and Perceptions of the Poor in Sanmatenga, The 'Land of Gold' Sabine Luning 12. Artisanal Gold-Mining in Northern Benin: A Socio-Cultural Perspective Tilo Gratz 13. Section 3: Country Case Studies - Anglophone West Africa Gavin M. Hilson 14. Diamonds, poverty and war in Sierra Leone Victor A.B. Davies 15. Reflections on the Political Economy of Artisanal Diamond Mining in Kono District, Sierra Leone Estelle Levin 16. Integrative Perspectives on Diamond Mining and Public Health in Akwatia, Ghana Kaapema Yelpaala and Saleem H. Ali 17. Socio-Economic, Environmental and Policy Implications of Alluvial Diamond Mining in the Birim Diamondiferous Field, Eastern Ghana Frank K. Nyame and S. K. A. Danso 18. 'Live and Let's Live' - The Relationship between Artisanal/Small-Scale and Large-scale miners in Ghana: The Abosso Goldfields' Experience - Anthony Kwesi Aubynn 19. Strained relations: a critical assessment of the mining conflict in Prestea, Ghana Gavin M. Hilson and Natalia Yakovleva 20. Addressing the Environmental Challenges of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in Nigeria Miriam Lawal Postscript: Progress on the Horizon?
Gavin M. Hilson is Lecturer at the School of Environment and Development, University of Manchester, UK.
