Rural Poverty and Artisanal Mining in Sub-Saharan Africa: New Perspective through Environment–Poverty Paradox

Issah Musah Surugu Justice, Albert Ahenkan, Justice Nyigmah Bawole, Emmanuel Yeboah-Assiamah

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Attempts to discuss small-scale artisanal mining (ASM) within the lenses of environment–poverty paradox have had two contending schools of thought. The first lens is the most dominant and holds that a single factor, ‘poverty’, drives people into ASM. The second lens contends that multiples of complex factors better explain who and why rural populations elect to enter employment in ASM. The literature appears to have largely focused on the single perspective, while the multi-complex web of factors has been largely ignored or at best just mentioned in passing. Employing the multi-complex perspective, this article provides a novel framework for unpacking the multiple factors that drive rural people into ASM in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). We argue that a single factor (‘poverty’) is inadequate to explain why rural people choose ASM as an alternative livelihood source and any policy intervention based on such perspective may rarely succeed. Our discussion highlights that institutional failure, including foreign/external takeover, poor politico-regulatory environment and unfavourable climate have sanctioned rural people to engage in such arduous and unsafe livelihood support activity which degrades the environment. Both theoretical and empirical studies from SSA have been used to support the argument.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)162-181
Number of pages20
JournalInternational Journal of Rural Management
Volume13
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Oct 2017
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Artisanal mining
  • environment
  • environment–poverty paradox
  • poverty
  • sub-Sahara Africa

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