Abstract
This paper critically examines the challenges with implementing microcredit services for small-scale mine operators-individuals engaged in labor-intensive mineral extraction and/or processing using low-tech methods-in sub-Saharan Africa. The region's policymakers have shied away from launching microcredit programs for small-scale mining, frustrated by the disappointing results of the past and unsure about how to proceed with implementation. Recent efforts to provide microcredit services for operators in Talensi-Nabdam District, Northern Ghana, however, illustrate how with a renewed level of commitment and the development of blueprints which adequately address the appropriate criteria, fairly robust schemes can be launched.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1191-1203 |
Number of pages | 13 |
Journal | World Development |
Volume | 39 |
Issue number | 7 |
Early online date | 15 Dec 2010 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Jul 2011 |
Keywords
- Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM)
- Microcredit
- Poverty
- Sub-Saharan Africa