Methodology
The objectives of this research are designed to scope the nature of the illegal mining debate in Ghana and will emphasise the collection of stories from relevant government officials, large-scale mine officers, and importantly, a diverse group of galamsey for the purpose of accessing a range of informative perspectives. The research posits that consultation with each party is the key to improving understanding of the nature of the current debate. The research methodology adopted will, therefore, be based exclusively upon qualitative approaches, and interviews with a range of actors in Ghana will be conducted. A questionnaire will be developed to assist the semi-structured interviews and will feature open-ended questions. This data will then be analysed to critically assess the main objectives of the research.
To critically assess and compare the different approaches taken by large-scale miners towards galamsey communities, and community development as a whole, two mining companies in the Western Region of Ghana have been selected for the research. These sites were deemed suitable for the research as disputes between large-scale mining companies and illegal miners have been documented; furthermore, at each of the locations, there is widespread acknowledgement that presiding companies have invested in grassroots/ livelihoods projects.
The team visiting small-scale illegal
miners (galamsey) in Ghana
Additionally a range of secondary material will be collected and analysed throughout the course of the project. A literature search and review relating to the mining situation in Ghana, and further afield, will be conducted with an inter-disciplinary focus, for example political, sociological, legal, economic and other fields will be considered. Also, due to the nature of the research, a significant amount of secondary material will be collected, and subsequently analysed, during the fieldwork (hyperlink to next section) stage of the project, for instance community development plans of the large-scale mining companies visited, or relevant reports and literature provided by Government officials and NGO members interviewed.
Field Work
The research will be carried out by Dr Gavin Hilson, Natalia Yakovleva, Heledd Jenkins and Louise Obara of the BRASS Centre, in collaboration with Frank Nyame and Thomas Akabzaa, Department of Geology, University of Ghana. The fieldwork will be conducted in two phases.
Phase 1
During the initial phase of the research interviews will be carried out with galamsey at the two study sites, as well as the mines warden and district officer based at the mining district centre in the region.
Interviewees will be probed on the small-scale mining licensing system, the nature of informal agreements with large-scale miners, government extension and possible ways forward. Meetings will also be held and interview dates confirmed with the actors scheduled for interview for Phase 2.
Researchers: Dr Gavin Hilson, Frank Nyame, Thomas Akabzaa
Phase 2
During the second phase of the research interviews will be carried out with Government officials, mine managers and non-governmental organisations in Accra (the Ghanaian capital) and at mining sites.
These individuals will be asked their expert opinion on land rights, the appropriateness of existing small-scale legislation, how to eradicate illegal mining, ways to improve the legalisation of artisanal operations, and how to improve relations with miners on-site.
Researchers: Dr Gavin Hilson, Natalia Yakovleva and Louise Obara
