Residents’ perception on the manifestation of the natural resource curse in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, Ghana

Natural resources have often been found to be a curse to some nations that
possess them instead of being a blessing. In several developing economies,
civil wars, environmental and health hazards have been associated with the
extraction of such natural resources. This paper investigated residents’
perceptions on the effects resulting from natural resource extraction in some
mining communities in Ghana. Underpinned by the interpretivist philosophy,
this case study employed in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and
observation to collect data from the residents in Odumase and Teberebie
communities in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, in the Western Region of
Ghana. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to select 77
respondents for the study. Data collected was transcribed, coded into themes
and categories, and manually analysed. The study found that the mining
communities were confronted with a number of environmental challenges,
including pollution (air, water, soil, and noise), deforestation, abandoned mine
pits and dumping of rock waste on fertile agricultural lands. Residents have
become marginalized as a result of the difficulty to access potable drinking
water, fertile agricultural lands and inability to come out of poverty since their
livelihoods have become unsustainable. It is recommended that collaborative
efforts should be adopted by various stakeholders to sustainably manage the
exploitation of mineral resources. Central and local governments’ policies and
regulations regarding natural resource use, and in particular mining need to
be enforced with local residents in mind.