Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
1047547 The Extractive Industries and Society 2015 10 Pages PDF
Abstract

There is broad consensus that donors and policymakers have struggled to formalize artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) – low-tech mineral processing and extraction – because of a poor understanding of the sector’s dynamics. As a result, ASM is largely – and at times, unfairly – associated with illegality, smuggling, and a loss of royalty fees and title fees. Experiences from four communities in north-central Nigeria reveal that, despite these views, ASM has evolved into a viable activity that can potentially support rural developmental objectives such as employment, reduction of poverty and hunger, as well as profits for government. Our findings suggest that there is a higher potential for success in the sector in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa more generally if ASM is practiced in a community-inclusive way.

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