Natural Resources Management
KWAME NKRUMAH UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY-KUMASI
FACULTY OF RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCES
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS OF MINING IN AJENJUA BEPO FOREST AND ITS CONSEQUENCES ON THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES
PHD PROPOSAL IN SILVICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
By NSAIH BEMPAH AHMED
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 PREAMBLE
By environmental setting, most of the minerals in Ghana occur in the forest areas where there may be timber, Non Timber Forest Products (NTFP’s) and wildlife. They may occur far from inhabited areas, near villages and urban centres or in villages and towns. Mineral surface deposits may occur on hills, on hill slopes, flat grounds, valleys, along the banks of the various rivers and in rivers and streams.
Mineral deposits, which are currently being exploited in Ghana, include gold, diamond, bauxite and manganese.
The production of minerals in Ghana has seen a significant growth in recent times (Ghana Business Directory, 2003). Ghana earns a lot of foreign exchange from the export of all minerals. Between 1991 and 2000, the gross yearly foreign exchange earnings from the mineral industry contributed more than 35 % of the gross annual foreign exchange earnings of the country (Ghana Business Directory, loc cit)
The mining industry provides some of the raw materials used by mineral – based local industries. These include manganese which is used for the manufacturing of batteries, salt used for the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, kaolin used in the production of local powder, clay for the ceramic industry, gold for local goldsmith to make ornaments and jewellery, silica for the glass factory and sand and gravels for the construction industry. The supply of these raw materials saves the country a lot of foreign exchange, which would otherwise have been used to import them to sustain these local industries.
By nature of deposition and geological setting, mineral deposits ,may be categorised into six (6) main
FACULTY OF RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCES
ECOLOGICAL ECONOMICS OF MINING IN AJENJUA BEPO FOREST AND ITS CONSEQUENCES ON THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES
PHD PROPOSAL IN SILVICULTURE AND NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
By NSAIH BEMPAH AHMED
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0 PREAMBLE
By environmental setting, most of the minerals in Ghana occur in the forest areas where there may be timber, Non Timber Forest Products (NTFP’s) and wildlife. They may occur far from inhabited areas, near villages and urban centres or in villages and towns. Mineral surface deposits may occur on hills, on hill slopes, flat grounds, valleys, along the banks of the various rivers and in rivers and streams.
Mineral deposits, which are currently being exploited in Ghana, include gold, diamond, bauxite and manganese.
The production of minerals in Ghana has seen a significant growth in recent times (Ghana Business Directory, 2003). Ghana earns a lot of foreign exchange from the export of all minerals. Between 1991 and 2000, the gross yearly foreign exchange earnings from the mineral industry contributed more than 35 % of the gross annual foreign exchange earnings of the country (Ghana Business Directory, loc cit)
The mining industry provides some of the raw materials used by mineral – based local industries. These include manganese which is used for the manufacturing of batteries, salt used for the manufacturing of pharmaceutical products, kaolin used in the production of local powder, clay for the ceramic industry, gold for local goldsmith to make ornaments and jewellery, silica for the glass factory and sand and gravels for the construction industry. The supply of these raw materials saves the country a lot of foreign exchange, which would otherwise have been used to import them to sustain these local industries.
By nature of deposition and geological setting, mineral deposits ,may be categorised into six (6) main