Search

In many mining communities in the developing world, agricultural livelihoods are gradually being lost. These livelihood changes are fueled by emerging foreign investments into the local mining sector; unclear regulatory frameworks and mining laws; as well as perceived compromised regulatory systems currently in operation. With continuous foreign investments and complexities of local institutions, these local mining industries may eventually lessen the importance of agricultural livelihoods. This paper explores the perceived and actual effects of artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) of gold on farming and food production in the Akyem Abuakwa traditional area in the Eastern Region of Ghana. Adopting a case approach, the study used multiple qualitative and participatory methods, including interviews of selected farmers, small-scale miners and opinion leaders; focus group discussions with affected farmers and ASM workers; institutional consultations and field visits to affected farms and mining sites were all used in gathering empirical evidence. The paper brings out three revelations. Firstly, there are unclear power dynamics that seek to marginalize farmers from their farms and turn them into gold mining sites. Secondly, the paper reveals that illegal small-scale gold mining activities that take place with the knowledge of farmers but sometimes supported by traditional and customary power structures. Lastly, some farmers are forced into illegal and/or ASM by declining them some essential agricultural and financial gains they are supposed to receive. The paper makes a case for the effective regulation of ASM activities and a re-examination of the declining agricultural industry, especially in the study area and in Ghana at large. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the power relations and institutional arrangements that shape Ghana's artisanal small-scale gold mining industry. Using the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area in the Eastern region as a case, the paper relies on in-depth interviews of key informants including officials of relevant local government institutions, members of the traditional authority and selected small-scale miners, to gather evidence of socio-political relationships and power dynamics. The study also adopted focus group discussions; transect walks and field observations to explore the perceived breaches by small-scale mine operators and how these are influenced by power relationships at national and local levels. The study finds complex power relationships that make artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) unsustainable. Innovative and participatory interventions have been proposed to ensure the effective enforcement of existing mining and environmental protection policies and laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on urban development generally posits that informal settlements offer low cost housing to the urban poor in developing countries. Using data from four informal settlements in Kumasi, Ghana, this paper analyses the costs and quality of water and sanitation infrastructure delivery in relation to the socio-economic conditions of residents. It finds a paradox where residents of deprived informal settlements pay higher fees for the use of low-quality privately-owned outdoor commercial water and sanitation facilities. The study therefore calls for a re-examination of urban upgrading programmes to focus on approaches that consider the financial implications of projects on beneficiaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing urbanisation and the growth of urban areas in cities in developing countries present major challenges for local governments, policy makers and urban planners even though the phenomenon offers opportunities. Studies focusing on the quality of life (QoL) help in assessing objectively, urban conditions which inform urban policy and planning. Using Kumasi as a case study, this paper investigates the relationship between quality of life and socio-economic characteristics such as gender, age, marital status, educational background, household income and housing type. To this end, the paper uses data from 500 households to examine the relationship between urban dwellers socio-economic characteristics and quality of life index in Kumasi. Findings indicated that objective QoL varied considerably with some of the socio-economic variables (household income and housing type) in the study area and these variables contributed significantly to the objective quality of life in Kumasi. The paper concludes that there are six (6) dimension of quality of life in Kumasi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessibility is frequently reported in transportation and urban planning studies as an important factor in the location or design of residential neighbourhoods. But, to what extent does accessibility influence residential location decisions of households remains unknown in urban Ghana. This paper uses household surveys and agency consultations to examine the relative importance of accessibility (i.e. street connectivity, motorability and mobility) in households’ residential location choices in the Adenta Municipality, Ghana. The experiences described by urban households indicate a strong association with accessibility in their location decisions. This implies that areas with poor street connectivity, motorability and mobility will possibly tend to be less attractive to would-be residents. The study further revealed that household respondents do not merely locate in areas just for the sake of it, rather, they are informed by a variety of accessibility attributes among them include cost of travel, proximity to road, street type, distance to work, travel time, proximity to work and traffic-related nuisance. As a result, although many household respondents (59.74%) developed their residential units in areas with limited or no accessibility, they expressed strong appreciation of the importance of, and the need for accessibility in residential neighbourhoods to ensure effective functionality of the municipality, in relation to connecting activity zones such as work places, shopping and recreational areas. Planning implications are further presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]