Impacts of Mining Activities on Indigenous Communities

Mining for many decades served as an important component of countries' revenue source especially for developing countries that have been endowed with the mineral wealth. If properly managed, countries can grow their economies with proceeds from mining activities in the form of royalties and foreign exchange earnings for the export of mineral related products. Such benefits from the mining sector have in most cases been used as a social license for exploration and exploitation of minerals in most communities. Nonetheless, one cannot lose sight of the fact that the very nature of mining itself in terms of the life-cycle of mining from discovery to closure seriously impacts on the lives of the communities in which it is undertaken. This book provides an analysis of the real mining impacts on some communities in Ghana specifically Kenyasi and some surrounding communities. It is hoped that the analysis would provide governments, policy makers, mining companies, NGOs and other mining stakeholders to understand the extent to which mining can impact on the lives of the people in communities which they operate especially in formulating laws and policies regarding mining operations.