Grievance and conflict in Ghana's gold mining industry: The case of Obuasi

•Explores the key issues of grievance and conflict unfolding in Ghana's gold mining industry.•The Obuasi conflict is as a result of flagrant encroachment on AngloGold Ashanti's concession by migrant illegal miners who hold no ancestral claim to Obuasi land.•The Obuasi conflict seems more of economically-motivated conflict than justice-seeking dispute.•The formation of the Obuasi Municipal Small-Scale Miners Association is a major step towards finding a lasting solution to the conflict.

This paper critically explores the key issues of grievance and conflict unfolding in Ghana's gold mining industry. It examines the dynamics of conflict between illegal artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) and one large-scale mining company, AngloGold Ashanti, in Obuasi. The paper reveals the peculiar nature of the Obuasi ASM-mining company conflict in which grievance seems to factor minimally in explaining the cause. The recent escalation of illegal mining activity on the company's concession has, at times, sparked disputes and violent clashes between the parties. What makes the Obuasi situation unique, however, is that the dispute is not based on grievance over land expropriation per se, as the majority of illegal miners are non-natives who have no ancestral links to the area. It is rather a dispute purely over control of gold resources. The ASM-mining company conflict in Obuasi, therefore, is more of an economically-motivated conflict, which potentially has a longer duration than typical justice-seeking disputes. The formation of a formidable informal association by the illegal miners in Obuasi has proved indispensable in ensuring short-term survival and is potentially a key strategy for ameliorating future disputes in Obuasi.