Contextualising Innovation in Africa’s Informal Artisanal and Small-scale Mining Sector; Development Trajectories, Impacts and Policy Implications

This thesis examines the innovation trajectories of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) – low-tech, labour-intensive mineral extraction and processing – in sub-Saharan Africa. Focusing on the case of Ghana, the location of one of the region’s largest ASM economies, the thesis compares what innovation pathways government and donor officials believe the sector’s operators could be following on the one hand, and on the other hand, what they are realistically capable of achieving in this area, given that most operators are embedded in the informal economy and therefore struggle to increase their mineral production. The specific objectives of the thesis are: ⁠To broaden understanding of what innovation means in the context of ASM. To examine the dynamics of innovation within the informal ASM sector, the strategies it has created and the motivation driving the sector’s formalisation agenda. To examine the support and networks underpinning informal ASM operations.The thesis develops a conceptual framework, centred on the theme of resilience, to contextualise how ASM operators, despite being confined to the informal economy and excluded from formal support, secure the finance and technology needed to remain operational. The findings demonstrate that miners’ exhibit enormous resilience by forging informal partnerships with “sponsors” to develop coping strategies in response to working informally. They rely on local mining practices and experiential knowledge to enhance their capacity to innovate. A “dichotomy” as it is referred to here – the disparity between what policy makers believe can stimulate innovation in the sector and the actual technical needs of operators, is increasing. This gap has hindered ASM formalisation efforts due to the misalignment of technical support administered for the sector with the needs of miners. The findings offer a foundation for policy makers to more effectively align ASM technical support with the innovation needs and capabilities of operators.