The state of gold mining in Ghana

With auriferous belts that cover about 51 800km²of its small area of 239 400km², it is no surprise that Ghana was called the Gold Coast before gaining independence from UK in 1957. Gold has been mined since the 15th century. From 1493 to 1600 the Gold Coast was responsible for 35.5% or the entire world's production of gold. This percentage droppped to 8.9% during the period 1701-1800. For the past 15 yr annual production has averaged not more than 2% of the world total. Since 1987 Ghana has been experiencing a boom in gold mining activities. The economic and technological factors that have contributed to the decline of gold production in Ghana are discussed and a summary is given of the methods that are used to mine and recover gold, from small-scale workings through dredging and opencast operations to underground mining. The advantages and disadvantages of these technologies and the future of gold mining in Ghana are considered. -from Authors