Manifestations of the resource curse thesis: a case study of mining communities in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality of Western Region, Ghana

Natural resources have in many cases been found to be a curse to some nations that possess it instead of being a blessing. Environmental and health hazards have resulted in many resource-rich developing economies. This study explores how some mining communities have experienced detrimental effects of possession of natural resources. Situated in the intepretivist philosophy, this case study research employed in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and observations to collect data from the residents in Odumase and Teberebie communities in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, in the Western Region of Ghana. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used to select seventy-seven respondents for the study. Data collected was transcribed, coded into themes and manually analysed. The study found that the mining communities are confronted with environmental management challenges including pollution, abandoned mine pits, and dumping of rock waste on fertile agricultural lands. Residents have become vulnerable as it is difficult to access potable drinking water, agricultural lands and inability to come out of poverty due to the difficulty of maintaining sustainable livelihoods. The study recommended that collaborative efforts be adopted by various stakeholders to sustainably manage the exploitation of mineral resources.