Analysis of actors’ attitudes towards the application of the legal institutional framework for sand mining in two local government areas of Ghana

Abstract

Sand is illegally mined in Ghana, despite the existence of legal frameworks governing the industry. The paper analyses actors' attitudes toward the application of the legal institutional framework for sand mining, using the Ga South and Gomoa East local government areas as a case study. Qualitative interviews and documentary analysis were employed. Data were collected through qualitative interviews with 32 sand-mining stakeholders, Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with women and youth groups, and documentary analysis. NVivo 12 software was used for thematic and content analysis. The results revealed that certain aspects of the legal frameworks related to licences, compensation for affected parties, complaint channels, and stakeholder participation were poorly enforced. This failure is linked to insufficient regulatory staff for regular compliance monitoring, outdated monitoring systems, poor coordination among regulatory agencies, rent-seeking, and political patronage. We recommend that the sector ministry initiate a consultative governance system by establishing a coordinating secretariat to harmonise regulatory efforts among all stakeholders. At the same time, laws on sand mining should be consolidated into a single policy document. The central government should also adequately resource the regulatory agencies with advanced monitoring equipment.