Ghana
ASM Population: 1,200,000
Min/Max/Total: DELVE-19 protracts data from HIL-16, but (reported?) gold production has significantly increased (from 4.1 tons in 2014 to 65 tons in 2021), 1,100,000 is considered as MIN, with MAX extrapolated as 1,300,000. Total population estimate therefore somewhere in between, i.e. 1,200,000
Female participation: “45–75% female miners” estimated as 600,000.
Gold: As per GEF-21, 500,000 - 1,000,000. Dataset uses average of 750,000.
Data sources for estimation
2021: 500,000 - 1,000,000 ASGM
(GEF-21): 500,000 - 1,000,000 ASGM (only gold)
People employed in ASGM: 500,000 - 1,000,000 Gold produced (kg/year): 65,000 Mercury released (kg/year): 43,000
2019: 1,100,000
DELVE-19: Country Profile Ghana 1,100,000
ASM Employment: 1.1 million directly, 4.4 million indirectly Female Miners: 45–75% Formalization: 70–80% informal Materials mined by ASM • Gold: 1.135 million ounces (produced in 2016) • Diamond: 86,925 carats (exported in 2017) • Salt: 250,000 tons (average per year)
2018: 1,100,000
(IGF-18): Table 3
Directly working in ASM: 1,100,000 Estimated number of dependents: 4,400,000 Main Minerals: Gold, Diamonds, Sand
2016: 1,100,000
(HIL-16):
Directly working in ASM: 1,100,000 Estimated number of dependents: 4,400,000
2014: 406,000
(UBC-14): Gold-only data produced by statistic modelling:
Expected ASM population: 406,000 Estimated ASM gold production: 4.1 t/a
2013: 190,000
(IIED-13): 180,000 - 200,000
2003: 200,000
(MMSD-03): Estimate for MMSD research country: 200,000
MMSD study by G.Hilson (http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/G00722.pdf)
1999: 175,000
(ILO-99): Employment: 50,000 - 300,000
Number of mines: 400 - 700
Illegal mines: 10% - 50%
Publications
| Reference | Year | Citation | Archived Copy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GEF-21 | 2021 | GEF (2021): Second phase of planetGOLD doubles countries addressing mercury in ASGM. Article on PlanetGOLD website, 29 March 2021 | gef-21.pdf | planetgold.org/… |
| DELVE-19 | 2019 | World Bank (2019): 2019 State of the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Sector. World Bank, Washington D.C. | delve-19.pdf | delvedatabase.org/… |
| ARM-18 | 2018 | Barreto, M.L.,Schein, P., Hinton, J., Hruschka, F. (2018): The Impact of Small-Scale Mining Operations on Economies and Livelihoods in Low- to Middle-Income Countries. ARM, Envigado, PACT, Westcombe. | arm-18.pdf | responsiblemines.org/… |
| IGF-18 | 2018 | IGF (2018): Global Trends in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM): A review of key numbers and issues. IIED/IISD, London, Winnipeg. | igf-18.pdf | iisd.org/… |
| GMA-18 | 2018 | UNEP (2018): Global Mercury Assessment 2018. Technical Background Report E-Annex. Chapter 3.2. UNEP, Geneva. | gma-18.pdf | wedocs.unep.org/… |
| AMDC-17 | 2017 | AMDC (2017): ASM Sector Report. Selected countries policy profile review of ASM | amdc-17.pdf | knowledge.uneca.org/… |
| HIL-16 | 2016 | Hilson, G. (2016): Artisanal and small-scale mining and agriculture: Exploring their links in rural sub-Saharan Africa. IIED, London. | hil-16.pdf | pubs.iied.org/… |
| UBC-14 | 2014 | Seccatore, J., Veiga, M., et al. (Univ. of British Columbia - UBC) (2014): An estimation of the artisanal small-scale production of gold in the world. Scitotenv. 496. | ubc-14.pdf | doi.org/… |
| IIED-13 | 2013 | Buxton, A. (2013): Responding to the challenge of artisanal and small-scale mining. How can knowledge networks help? IIED, London. | iied-13.pdf | pubs.iied.org/… |
| MMSD-03 | 2003 | Hentschel, T., Hruschka, F., Priester, M. (2003): Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining - Challenges and Opportunities. MMSD (IIED), London. | mmsd-03.pdf | pubs.iied.org/… |
| ILO-99 | 1999 | Jennings, N. (1999): Social and labour issues in small-scale mines. Report for discussion at the Tripartite Meeting on Social and Labour Issues in Small-scale Mines. ILO, Geneva. | ilo-99.pdf | ilo.org/… |
Further Materials
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0BCCC9081242FA94
Articles:
Data section
| ASM DATA - Country Database Record | |
|---|---|
| Country Code | GHA |
| Country | Ghana |
| ASM Status | Existing (data assessed) |
| Country Count | 1 |
| Data year | 2016 |
| Publ. year | 2021 |
| ASM Miners | 1,200,000 |
| - gold | 750 ,000 |
| Data curation | extrapolated |
| Inc. DevMin | some |
| - min. | 1,100,000 |
| - max. | 1,300,000 |
| - female | 600 ,000 |
| ASM Commodities | gold, diamond, salt, sand |