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IFG 11: Sustainability in West Africa’s Gold Mining Sector

MIASA CC-BY-4.0: Poster IFG 11

Amid multiple crises, West Africa remains one of the most important (gold) mining regions in the world. Despite the manifold potential economic gains for national economies and workers,  mining activities are carried out at huge socio-ecological costs in vicinities of extraction.

The notion of “sustainability” in mining has multiple and often contested dimensions in academic and policy circles. What can be rejected as corporate greenwashing of ecological harm produced by enduring forms of extractivism, can also be interpreted as pointing to long-term goals of achieving resource sovereignty and environmental justice. 

Exploring the (history of) political-economic conditions, context-specific perceptions and dynamics of social reproduction in/of mining remains crucial for understanding community, state and industry responses to sustainability challenges. Based on research conducted on the informal gold production economy in Ghana (known as galamsey) and Burkina Faso (known as orpaillage), as well as on large-scale lithium and salt extraction projects (Ghana), the team identified different actor constellations, technology uses and policy interventions across West Africa. 

Taking this into account in multi-scalar sustainability governance will help to address current dilemmas (e.g., jobs vs. the environment) and find pathways for planetary solutions that are not only ecologically sustainable but also socially just. 

Fellowship period: September to December 2024

Conveners: Prof. John Manyimadin Kusimi, Dr. Diana Ayeh

Members: Dr. Tongnoma Zongo, Prof. Emmanuel Ababio Ofosu-Mensah, Dr. Hibist Kassa

Research visitors: Prof. Muriel Côte, Dr. Sylvie Capitant

Joint visits: Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners, Water Resources Commission, Precious Minerals Marketing Company, Kibi Goldfields Limited

Conference: “Sustainability in West Africa’s Mining Sector(s) – Political Trends, Popular Struggles and Sustainable Futures”, 27-28 November 2024


OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
teammiasa (July 23, 2025). IFG 11: Sustainability in West Africa’s Gold Mining Sector. Merian Institute for Advanced Studies in Africa - Blog. Retrieved December 11, 2025 from https://miasa.hypotheses.org/4553


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