Abstract
This paper explains how formalizing and supporting artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) – low-tech, labor-intensive mineral processing and extraction – would help governments in sub-Saharan Africa meet several targets linked the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). While most of the men and women found working in ASM in the region choose to operate without the requisite permits and are rarely monitored or regulated, the local impacts of their activities are significant. After examining the long historical trajectory that has relegated most ASM activities in sub-Saharan Africa to the informal economy, three of the sector's more obvious economic impacts are reviewed: its contribution to regional mineral outputs; how operations create employment opportunities for millions of people directly, and millions more in the downstream and upstream industries they spawn; and the links the sector has with subsistence agriculture, dynamics which have important implications for food security and gender equality. These contributions alone are sufficient justification for featuring ASM more prominently in the plans, policies and programs being launched in sub-Saharan Africa to help host governments meet their commitments to the SDGs.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 125-141 |
Number of pages | 17 |
Journal | Geoforum |
Volume | 111 |
Early online date | 3 Oct 2019 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 31 May 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2019 Elsevier Ltd
Keywords
- Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM)
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Poverty
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Sociology and Political Science
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Roy Maconachie
- Department of Social & Policy Sciences - Professor
- Centre for Development Studies
- Water Innovation and Research Centre (WIRC)
- Institute of Sustainability and Climate Change
Person: Research & Teaching, Affiliate staff