CeCASt Seminar

The Pathology of Environmental Crime? A Study of Illegal Gold Mining and Indigenous Land Rights in the Savannah Region of Ghana From 1980 to 2024.

Speaker: Gafar Abubakar (MPhil Historical Studies Candidate, KNUST)

Abstract:

While gold mining is not a recent activity, Artisanal and Small Scale Gold Mining (ASGM), which ranges from traditional techniques to more industrialized methods of extracting gold from the earth, has become a significant global concern in recent years. A report from the International Labour Organization (ILO) in 1999 highlighted the rapid growth of small-scale mining in developing nations, including 35 countries in Africa. This study examines the dynamics of environmental crime and the effect of illegal gold mining on indigenous land rights in the Savannah region of Ghana. The proliferation of illegal mining activities, often referred to as “galamsey,” raises questions about how these challenging practices impact the environment and the interaction between state and customary land governance systems affects indigenous land rights. The research objectives include evaluating the impacts of illegal mining on indigenous land rights, analyzing the role of land licensing regimes, and exploring the enabling conditions for illegal mining within the framework of green transition initiatives that followed the Ghanaian government's launch of the “Green Ghana” project. This study will adopt an ethnographic approach, incorporating interviews with local communities, miners, and government officials to gain a comprehensive understanding of the challenges faced. By contributing to the ongoing discourse on environmental crime, this research seeks to illuminate the issues arising from illegal gold mining and its consequences for both local ecosystems and global sustainability efforts.