Abstract:

In using two contrasting regions from Ashanti and Northern Regions of Ghana, the first forested with auriferous river basins and the second savannah with auriferous rock formation, this paper explores local engagement with Chinese technology in different mining environments with different outcomes. Our approach reveals the circumstances that enabled the entry of Chinese capital and technology into mining in Ashanti, but with adverse consequences for both the environment and rural economies in the long term, while the case of Bole from northern Ghana speaks to local adaptation of small-scale Chinese technology in a sustainable mining environment and with positive effects on the local economy.