Assessing livelihood and environmental implications of artisanal and small-scale mining: a case of Akango mining, Nzema East Municipality, Western Region, Ghana

Kingsford Cudjoe (), Emmanuel Kwesi Nyantakyi (), Julius Kwame Borkloe (), Emmanuel Appiah Adjei (), Ebenezer K. Siabi (), Nana Osei Bonsu Ackerson (), Saeed Ibn Idris Kofi Yeboah (), Martin Kyereh Domfeh (), Clement Apuri Wezenamo (), Michael Owusu (), Felix Adu-Tutu () and Amanda Owusu ()
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Kingsford Cudjoe: University of Energy and Natural Resources
Emmanuel Kwesi Nyantakyi: University of Energy and Natural Resources
Julius Kwame Borkloe: Kumasi Technical University
Emmanuel Appiah Adjei: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)
Ebenezer K. Siabi: University of Energy and Natural Resources
Nana Osei Bonsu Ackerson: University of Energy and Natural Resources
Saeed Ibn Idris Kofi Yeboah: University of Energy and Natural Resources
Martin Kyereh Domfeh: University of Energy and Natural Resources
Clement Apuri Wezenamo: University of Energy and Natural Resources
Michael Owusu: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST)
Felix Adu-Tutu: Sunyani Technical University
Amanda Owusu: University of Environment and Sustainable Development

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 2025, vol. 27, issue 5, No 46, 10967-10994

Abstract: Abstract The environmental impacts of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) are currently a major issue globally. There is cause for concern given the rapid loss of forest resources and pollution of water bodies through contamination with heavy metals like cyanide, arsenic, and mercury. The study investigated the livelihood and environmental implications of artisanal and small-scale gold mining in Akango, a mining community in the Nzema East Municipality of Ghana. Water and soil samples were collected, and some of their associated physiochemical and heavy metal parameters were analyzed. The study used post-classification change detection to estimate the land-use/land-cover change that occurred between 2008 and 2022 and also assessed the spatiotemporal changes and transition potential modeling of the community. Field observations, interviews, and semi-structured questionnaires were employed to obtain first-hand experience regarding the study. The spatiotemporal land-use analyses found a significant increase in mining areas and subsequent settlement expansion, primarily at the expense of water bodies and vegetation. Waterbodies had a great loss, while vegetation showed little change between the study periods. For instance, the study found a significant increase in the size of the settlement and mining areas by 41.72 and 1279.77% respectively between 2008 and 2015 in the study area. However, there was a substantial decrease in the size of the waterbody by 4.58%. Accounting for the decline in the waterbody, 38.4 and 10.02% of the waterbody were converted into mining and bare areas, respectively. In terms of social impacts, ASGM had no statistically significant impacts on school dropout, prostitution, teenage pregnancy, and child labor (p-value > 0.05) but a statistically significant impact on women's abuse, drug abuse, and high rate of in-migration (p-value

Keywords: Artisanal and small-scale mining; ASGM; Forest resources; Heavy metal; Water quality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s10668-023-04339-x

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