Corporate social responsibility and power relations: Impediments to community development in post-war Sierra Leone diamond and rutile mining areas

• Lack of community consultation and approval resulted in failed SRL bio-diesel project.
• Octea mining invested in short-lived projects to obtain a social license to operate.
• Kimbadu resettlement demonstrates exemplar corporate social responsibility in mining.
• Devolving community participation to traditional leaders stymied local development.
• Credible regulatory team would enforce legal responsibility in mining communities.

This article examines the influence of transnational mining companies’ (TNMCs) Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives in diamond and rutile dredge-mining areas in post-war Sierra Leone. The CSR framework applied encompasses the social license to operate, community engagement and accountability, and a critical lens of power dynamics. Key informant interviews and secondary sources provided data for the study. Findings from the research reveal that with the exception of the establishment of Kimbadu, the resettled town, implementation of CSR initiatives facilitated minimal, and at times, unsustainable, community development. It is argued that such ‘development’ outcomes are primarily due to asymmetrical power relations between TNMCs (i.e. Octea Mining and Sierra Rutile Limited) and the mining communities in which these companies engage in pre-defined development projects that are, in many instances, at variance with community needs. Moreover, the social structure at the local level impedes community development. The study recommends active engagement of disparate groups within the community in decision making at all stages of mining-driven community development rather than the extant social structure that gives exclusive powers to traditional leaders. It also calls for the establishment of an independent regulatory team to ensure enforcement of legal responsibilities in mining areas.