Regularising small scale mining in Gbane and Sherigu in the Upper East Region of Ghana: the miner’s perspective
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Date
NOVEMBER, 2015.
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Abstract
The study sought to determine why small scale miners in Gbane and Sherigu, in the Upper East Region of Ghana, remain unregistered; understand acquisition processes for obtaining land for small scale mining and how miners could be supported to regularise their activities. It further identified license acquisition requirements for miners and assessed current forms and stages of regularisation of small scale miners’ operations. The research strategy was case study with snowball as the sampling technique. Data was collected with a questionnaire from 40 respondent mine pit owners; 30 from Gbane and 10 from Sherigu. Two Focus Group Discussions were held in both communities with a total of 14 participants. The study also interviewed four Key Informants and used Direct Observation in collecting data. Factors that prevented miners from regularizing operations were; high cost of license, bureaucracy and its associated lengthy waiting periods for license to be processed, and lack of support or incentives for miners to regularize. Cost of acquiring a license included the statutory payments at some stages of the licensing process and the informal and unapproved fees paid to government officials. Miners in the study were mostly migrants (55%), from neighbouring communities and districts, but Ghanaians aged between 20 and 56 years. These miners operated on lands leased to them by community members and Chiefs. All miners interviewed went through various processes to acquire lands for small scale activities, which involved informal negotiations and verbal agreements. All lands released to miners were without tenure security. Miners in turn rewarded land owners, chiefs and other influential persons in the communities, after every excavation. All respondent miners met the basic license acquisition requirements on age and nationality. Most miners (80%) operated as individuals and 20% in groups but on smaller land sizes, often operating on less than an acre (0.4ha) of land. Whiles 12.5% of miners possessed site plans of areas being mined; only 2.5% were operating with an environmental permit. In all, 10% of miners had started the process to get regularized and were at different stages of the process. The study identified access to credit, introduction of miner-sensitive and easy-to-use technologies, regular trainings, and availability of incentives or support as ways to encourage miners to regularise.
Description
A thesis submitted to the Department of Silviculture and Forest Management,
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy (Natural Resource and Environmental Governance).