Evaluation of Stakeholders’ Roles in the Management of Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining in Anka, Zamfara State, Nigeria

Abstract

This paper evaluates the roles of stakeholders in the management of Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) in Anka, a typical ASGM town in Zamfara State, North-western Nigeria, dominated by sporadic and mostly unlicenced ASGM activities. Conceptual, SWOT, PESTLE, MOTAP and SELOP analyses were used to evaluate stakeholders’ roles in the management of ASGM in the area. From the evaluation, weak legislation, poor policy implementation, stringent licencing procedures, centralised government functions and poor government attention were identified to be the major factors militating against the effective functioning of ASGM regulators. Lack of management skills by the ASGM operators in the area was identified as a major barrier to their economic prosperity. Child labour, poor environmental management and cultural practices contribute to the environmental, health and safety hazards ravaging the sporadic ASGM activities by the local miners. Community leaders are thus left to grapple with the control of ASGM activities in their domain. Relief agencies and international organisations were identified as the main anchors of intervention programmes, the success of which is linked to the support and cooperation of the community leaders. Decentralisation of government functions on ASGM and organisation of miners into cooperative groups and their full integration into the formal licenced mining sector are recommended for sustainable, effective and efficient ASGM in Anka.

Keywords: Artisanal and small-scale gold mining, Management functions, Environmental degradation, Rural development, Regulators, Stakeholders, Community leaders.