Title: Community-based participatory governance platforms and sharing of mining benefits: Evidence from Ghana
Authors/Institution: Sam A. Kasimba & Päivi Lujala – Community Development Journal
Publication Year: 2021
The study by Kasimba and Lujala (2021) examines how participatory governance mechanisms were introduced in Ghana’s mining regions to ensure that host communities directly benefit from mineral revenues. These mechanisms, often established as community development funds or local platforms, were designed to channel a share of mining benefits into social services, infrastructure, and livelihood support. Drawing on case studies from gold-producing districts, the research analyzes whether such arrangements foster genuine participation or simply act as symbolic gestures to appease communities.
The findings reveal a persistent gap between the intent and the practice of participatory governance. While platforms are formally inclusive, in practice many communities experience weak representation, limited decision-making power, and low technical capacity to influence resource allocation. The study highlights that when local actors feel excluded or perceive the process as controlled by elites, trust in both mining companies and government authorities erodes. This not only undermines the purpose of benefit-sharing but can also intensify grievances and amplify conflict risks in mining zones.
The relevance to current debates is clear: Ghana’s ongoing mining law reform aims to institutionalize local revenue sharing and reinforce accountability. Kasimba and Lujala’s work provides a cautionary lens—showing that revenue distribution alone is insufficient if governance structures do not embed genuine community voice and capacity-building. For Ghana, as for other resource-rich countries like Peru and the DRC, sustaining the social license to operate requires moving beyond token participation to inclusive, empowered decision-making platforms that communities trust.
Issue Profile – Community-Based Participatory Governance in Ghana
Lead Actor: Government of Ghana; local mining communities
Focus: Participatory platforms for benefit-sharing in gold-producing regions
Update (2021): Study shows that while development funds and community forums exist, they often suffer from weak representation, elite capture, and limited decision-making power
Strategic Significance: Demonstrates that sustainable social license depends not only on revenue sharing but also on empowering communities with real influence and transparent governance mechanisms.