Aims and Objectives

Aims/Objectives/Key Questions

The purpose of the research is to understand and critically examine the nature of illegal mining in Ghana, and assess the viewpoints of a range of actors, including small-scale illegal miners (referred to locally as galamsey), large-scale miners, Government officials and the NGO community.

The research study has a strong interdisciplinary focus as it will combine issues of commercial CSR, economic policy and development and sustainable development with human rights, environmental protection and local community issues. The research also has an international dimension given the dominance of multinational companies in the mining industry.

Small-scale illegal miners (galamsey) in Ghana

The research and its findings will provide much-needed knowledge regarding large-scale mining by multinational companies based in developing countries. To date, many of the studies carried out on CSR in the mining sector have focussed on mining companies in developed countries; therefore, this project will enhance understanding of companies involved in large-scale mining in developing countries.

The purpose of the research is to understand and critically examine the nature of illegal mining in Ghana. The research seeks to solicit and critically assess the viewpoints of a range of actors on the illegal mining debate, including galamsey, large-scale miners, Government officials and the NGO community, with the aim of identifying sustainable policy solutions. The objectives of the work are as follows:

To improve understanding of the nature of the illegal mining problem in the Western Region and Ghana as a whole, its causes, and the measures being taken by the government and galamsey to regulate operations.
To obtain the perspectives of galamsey and registered small-scale miners on these issues, and to develop a broader understanding of the challenges they face.
To gain the perspectives of policymakers on the regulatory nature of the debate, including what procedures can be taken to legalise small-scale operations, and what additional measures can be taken to preserve amicable setups where they exist.
To critically assess and compare the different approaches taken by large-scale miners operating in the Western Region toward galamsey communities, and community development as a whole.
To examine the wider socio-economic implications of the impending closure of the Western Region’s illegal mining camps.
To evaluate the community development plans/activities of large-scale mining companies operating in Ghana, and their contribution to corporate and community sustainability.

It is also envisaged that this project will provide the necessary foundation for BRASS to conduct further research on the mining industry. Possible future projects will have a strong interdisciplinary and international focus.