Seeking better outcomes for West Africa’s gold sector

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines the challenges of formalising the artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) sector in West Africa and the Sahel. It argues that punitive crackdowns often increase fragility and criminal capture, recommending instead a supportive formalisation approach that addresses land rights, gender inequality, and the creation of decentralised service centres to reduce vulnerability to organised crime and violent extremist groups.

• Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is a vital source of livelihood in West Africa, but its prevailing informality makes it susceptible to exploitation by conflict actors and criminal networks. Traditional punitive responses, such as crackdowns, are noted to be counterproductive, as they often "increase fragility and the criminal capture of gold mining operations and supply chains."
• The ASGM sector is evolving through increased mechanisation and the use of hazardous materials. There is a growing regional threat from the use of chemicals like cyanide and mercury, as well as explosives. The document warns that "Explosives used in mining may end up in the hands of violent extremist groups across the region."
• Land tenure insecurity and the lack of mineral rights are identified as root causes for many of the sector's challenges. The brief asserts that "Access to land and gold deposits is a necessary foundation to any formalisation effort," and highlights frequent conflicts between ASGM operators and industrial mining operations over land rights.
• Women constitute between 20% and 50% of the ASM workforce in Africa and rely on gold mining for livelihoods, yet they face systemic marginalisation and discrimination. This includes the "denial of women’s land rights" despite existing legal frameworks, and the influence of criminal actors who reinforce gender inequalities.
• Mauritania has seen partial success in formalisation by using decentralised processing centres to control the gold supply chain. A key factor in this success was the government's ability to provide access to water at these centres, allowing it to "exercise stronger control over processing activities and take a firmer stand on regulating processes to mitigate environmental pollution."
• The brief recommends the creation of collective mining bodies, such as cooperatives, to help miners pool resources and access financing. However, it cautions that such bodies can be "hijacked by dealers, brokers and exporters" to maintain existing resource capture and revenue sharing arrangements.
• Effective regulation of the ASGM sector requires high levels of inter-agency coordination and regional cooperation. The document suggests that responses should involve a wide range of stakeholders, including "mining, environment, trade, customs, law enforcement and finance (central banks)" to prevent reforms from being undermined by insufficient support.

APA

Hunter, M., Ofosu-Peasah, G., Anti, T. W., Akonor, E. T., Ghastalany, R. E., & Moberg, G. (2023). Seeking better outcomes for West Africa’s gold sector. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-pb-12-eng.pdf

Chicago

Hunter, Marcena, Gideon Ofosu-Peasah, Theodora Williams Anti, Edgar Takyi Akonor, Rayane EL Ghastalany, and Gabriel Moberg. Seeking better outcomes for West Africa’s gold sector. Institute for Security Studies, 2023. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-pb-12-eng.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hunter |first1=Marcena |last2=Ofosu-Peasah |first2=Gideon |last3=Anti |first3=Theodora Williams |last4=Akonor |first4=Edgar Takyi |last5=Ghastalany |first5=Rayane EL |last6=Moberg |first6=Gabriel |title=Seeking better outcomes for West Africa’s gold sector |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=November 2023 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-pb-12-eng.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hunter2023seeking, author = {Hunter, Marcena and Ofosu-Peasah, Gideon and Anti, Theodora Williams and Akonor, Edgar Takyi and Ghastalany, Rayane EL and Moberg, Gabriel}, title = {{Seeking better outcomes for West Africa’s gold sector}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-pb-12-eng.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }