Humphrey Asamoah Agyekum presents on migration and illegal mining at the Zolberg Institute at the New School
CGC researcher Humphrey Asamoah Agyekum recently presented on the migration patterns and strategies that underpin illegal mining in Ghana at the Zolberg Institute at the New School, New York, USA.
Agyekum’s talk focused on how North-South migration dynamics related to artisanal, small-scale mining or galamsey (in Ghanaian parlance derived from gather and sell), in post-colonial Ghana follow patterns that were established during colonial labor economies. As a result, there is a dominance of Northerners in illegal mining.
Agyekum argues that whereas in the past, migration was forced or recruited, reasons for modern-day labor flows are diverse, varying from business capital accumulation to funding school fees. Contemporary illegal miners base their movements on information, such as on working conditions or accommodation, shared within family networks and hearsay from former mining colleagues or friends.
Agyekum also recently presented his research on the irregular mining of gold and how this affects the green transition agenda at the FAU Travelling Seminar Series entitled 'New Currents in Global Development Research'.
Read more about The Zolberg Institute on Migration and Mobility and the FAU Travelling Seminar Series.