Development of an Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Framework for sustainability in Sierra Leone: lessons from Germany

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is one of the most viable livelihood activities in Sierra Leone, contributing highly to the revenue base of the government. However, these local ASM operations are accompanied by major detrimental environmental impacts such as degradation of forests, contamination and pollution of both water resources and land use due to weak frameworks enacting regulations and inappropriate business practices, especially. The informal mining sector has significant environmental and health impacts due to inadequate technical assessment, poor enforcement of land reclamation regulations, contamination of water sources, and the use of hazardous chemicals like mercury and acid. The evaluation of ASM’s contribution, identifying difficulties and searching out possible solutions, as well as trying to come up with pertinent suggestions for sustainable and equitable mining operations are some of the main objectives of this research study. The ASM sector is widely practiced in four key districts in Sierra Leone, namely Kono, Kenema, Bo, and Makeni, where gold and diamonds are the primary mineral targets for the ASM operators. Recent studies in the Kono and Kenema districts recorded a huge amount of land environmental degradation and water pollution due to massive illegal miners.
Germany, recognized for its high-rated legislation on environmental policies provides a sound benchmark in the enhancement of ASM operations with respect to sustainable mining practices. As the country was able to successfully reclaim formal mining sites, converting them into forest, or agricultural land, making such post-mining rehabilitation practice is what this study will look into for ASM best practice in Sierra Leone.
This research aims at analyzing the status of environmental sustainability in Sierra Leone's ASM sector and propose sustainable frameworks that incorporating policies, strategies, and best practices operating in Germany. The overall design of the study involves qualitative and quantitative approaches with field observations, stakeholder interviews, policy reviews and environmental data analysis. The research will highlight gaps in ASM governance in Sierra Leone and accordingly suggest actionable strategies that could be employed in the integration of environmentally sustainable goals into ASM operations. These strategies should benefit the ASM sector in Sierra Leone by way of marked increase in its resilience in consonance with global sustainability objectives.
This study examines the thematic outcomes that contribute to the understanding of ASM governance, environmental sustainability, and policy transfer between Germany and Sierra Leone. Also the implications of inculcating stakeholder perspectives into future policy development and institutional reform, citing the inadequate logistical support and insufficient regulatory enforcement, lack of decentralized governance framework, poor coloration strategy between NMA and EPA has hindered the two institution to develop a cohesive response to environmental and human security issues related to the mining together with the prevalence of informal and illicit mining, rapid corruption and political interference.