Illicit Gold Mining and the Well-being of Rural People in Sierra Leone - A case of Gondama Community, Bo District

Fassie Manju , Ibrahim Munu

ILLICIT, GOLD MINING, WELLBEING, RURAL, SIERRA LEONE, BO

This study mainly investigated the socioeconomic-socioeconomic socioeconomic effects of illegal gold mining on people in the rural Gondama Tikonko Chiefdom Bo District, Sierra Leone, West Africa. Though its nature and form have evolved, mining is one of the oldest industries in man's development. It has provided employment opportunities for millions of people across the world. Although people benefited from the gold, the integrity of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems has been compromised. The advertising of mining companies is increasingly visible in imparting employment and enhancing economic growth. However, despite the expected pleasantries of this trade, much attention has yet to be given to the effects these operations have on the surroundings and the inhabitants of these mining areas. A sample of 80 Aas was investigated using a purposive, randomised sampling technique. Primary and secondary sources of data were used for this study. The data were simple were simple statistical packages. The study reveals that 93.75% of the targeted sample population was aware of the illegal gold mining activities in the study community, and respondents agreed that illegal gold mining is mainly practised in the study area. The study revealed that of the many causes found, poverty is the leading cause of illegal gold mining, followed by unemployment in the community. Conflict between policymakers and the villagers, inadequate enforcement of mining regulations, self-interest, and family disputes were also mentioned. Moreover, although malaria and typhoid were noted as the most common diseases in the community, there were reports of other waterborne diseases. Key recommendations were proper monitoring and policy in all mining areas in the country.

Published Paper   E-Certificate

"Illicit Gold Mining and the Well-being of Rural People in Sierra Leone - A case of Gondama Community, Bo District", IJSDR - International Journal of Scientific Development and Research (www.IJSDR.org), ISSN:2455-2631, Vol.9, Issue 9, page no.147 - 161, September-2024, Available :https://ijsdr.org/papers/IJSDR2409015.pdf

Volume 9 Issue 9, September-2024

Pages : 147 - 161

Paper Reg. ID: IJSDR_212397

Published Paper Id: IJSDR2409015

Downloads: 000347042

Research Area: Social Science and Humanities 

Country: Bo City, Sierra Leone , Sierra Leone

Published Paper PDF: https://ijsdr.org/papers/IJSDR2409015

Published Paper URL: https://ijsdr.org/viewpaperforall?paper=IJSDR2409015

ISSN: 2455-2631 | IMPACT FACTOR: 9.15 Calculated By Google Scholar | ESTD YEAR: 2016

An International Scholarly Open Access Journal, Peer-Reviewed, Refereed Journal Impact Factor 9.15 Calculate by Google Scholar and Semantic Scholar | AI-Powered Research Tool, Multidisciplinary, Monthly, Multilanguage Journal Indexing in All Major Database & Metadata, Citation Generator

Publisher: IJSDR(IJ Publication) Janvi Wave

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License and The Open Definition