Mining, the environment, and human rights in Ghana: An area of limited statehood perspective

Abstract

Although the global norms meant to guide corporate environmental human rights conducts have steadily improved, there have been limited efforts directed at exploring whether business‐related environmental human rights infringements have as a result reduced. To address this gap, this paper examines the extent to which mining companies meet their responsibility to respect human rights and ensure that environmental rights of community members in mining areas are not violated. By privileging community voices, the paper offers nuanced insight into why gaps continue to persist between corporate commitment to human rights objectives and community experience in areas of limited statehood (ALS). We show that weak governmental capacity, neoliberal business model, and differences in sociocultural logics mediate between corporate environmental human rights commitments and their conduct on the ground. The paper concludes by considering the theoretical implications for business and human rights in ALS.

Enhancing Extractive Resource Governance in Ghana and Nigeria under Fragmented Policy Landscape and Limited Resource Scenarios: Insight from the Barrow Framework

“…Ghana, however, does not have any plans or action in place to provide clear directives, reward compliance, punish degradation-associated with resource exploitation and mitigating the effects of anthropogenic activities on ecologically sensitive biodiversity areas. In their study, Idemudia et al (2020) established that the Ghanaian government amendment to the original PNDC law 153 that governed mining via its repeal and replacement with ACT 703 of 2006 does not provide a clear and specific mechanism through which communities may formally seek redress for the violation of their environmental rights compounded with the fact that the 1992 Ghanaian constitution makes no direct reference to the environment and thereby creating ambiguities as the measures that are actually implemented often depend on both the administrative capacities of the agencies and the clarity of the policies and laws. For Nigeria, Meer et al, (2020) argue that a commitment to ecological sustainability is long entrenched in national policy and has been articulated extensively through the development of most of the Nigerian natural resource plans and legislation.…”

Corporate Responses to Community Grievance: Voluntarism and Pathologies of Practice

“…What becomes apparent is that contrary to corporate descriptions of formalised and functional direct dealing, the grievance landscape in mining is an illegible mess or what Bainton (2021) has called "mutual incomprehension". Simplified explanations of the grievance landscape might serve a purpose in corporate engagements with lenders, investors, shareholders, and an absent-present state (Bainton & Skrzypek, 2020;Idemudia et al, 2020). Whether these and other stakeholders remain satisfied with simple explanations is evolving, as corporate claims of conformance with international standards are tested.…”

Industry 4.0 technologies in the manufacturing sector: Are we sure they are all relevant for environmental performance?

“…Each of these technologies could affect environmental performance in some way, positively but also negatively. For instance, these technologies are ultimately based on electronic components, and it is well‐known how discharged electronic equipment often contain chemicals that are harmful to people and the environment (Liao et al, 2013; Luan et al, 2013; Rodgers, 1995), not to mention the exploitation of workers and mines in certain areas of Africa (Amoah & Eweje, 2021; Idemudia et al, 2020; Kemp et al, 2021) due to rare raw materials. Therefore, we need to identify the potential i4.0 technologies affecting environmental performance and second rank the contribution of these technologies to the performance.…”