What does the community know? Assessing the mining-related knowledge in the Newmont Ghana gold limited enclave

In the era of precarious environmental and health impacts associated with mining activities, there is a dire need for full community understanding and appreciation of the impacts of mining activities. However, little is known empirically on community’s knowledge with respect to environmental and health effects of mining in Ghana especially NGGL enclaves. The objective of the study was to examine community’s knowledge on the environmental and health implications of mining. A cross-sectional survey involving simple random and purposive sampled participants (N = 120) was conducted. The main data collection instruments were questionnaires and in-depth interviews. Data were analyzed with a Pearson’s Chi-square from the PASW for Windows application (V. 17.0). The study found that respondents have better knowledge on both the environmental and health effects of mining. However, non-parametric chi-square test showed no statistically significant relationship between knowledge on environmental and health effects of mining as regards place of residence. This adds to the scanty but growing documented literature on community knowledge on mining impacts. Based on the findings, it is recommended that NGGL follows environmental guidelines as stipulated in their sustainability report.