Abstract:
Globally, investment in housing and urban infrastructure to match the pace of
urbanisation has led to high volumes of unsustainable sand extraction. In Ghana,
farming and other land-based livelihoods account for the majority of the jobs held
by locals in the sand mining regions. The main objective of the study was to assess
how terrestrial sand mining in the Ga South Municipality and Gomoa East District
affects local household livelihoods. A mixed-methods approach was used to gather
quantitative data from 278 household heads and qualitative data from 32 key
informants, including landowners, truck drivers, sand contractors, local government
authorities, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Minerals Commission, and
Focus Group Discussions with women and youth groups. Descriptive statistics, the
chi-square test of independence, Kruskal-Wallis and the Median test were employed
to analyse the quantitative data, while the qualitative data were transcribed and
analysed thematically. The study revealed the following findings: first, sand mining
was widespread and largely illegally undertaken by mainly non-natives of the
mining communities, with the most common interest among the actors being
monetary. Second, the negative impact of terrestrial sand mining on local
livelihoods was more experienced by most of the local residents than its positive
effects. Third, the rules governing sand mining were inadequately applied by the
regulatory agencies. It is recommended for policymakers to resource the regulatory
agencies to perform their mandate, while strict sanctions should be applied to illegal
sand miners. The Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, local government
authorities, and landowners should work together to zone the study communities to
ensure that land is reserved for traditional livelihoods.
