The sustainable development conundrum in gold mining: Exploring ‘Open, Prior and Independent Deliberate Discussion’ as a community-centered framework

The role of sustainable development in the gold mining industry has received much attention in the last decade. Yet, implementing sustainable development in this industry has become a complex exercise. Cognizant of the shortfalls in existing frameworks such as the lack of supervision and accountability, we propose a new framework to help enhance the potential contribution of gold mining to sustainable development. Based on in-depth interviews and focus group discussions in selected gold mining communities of Ghana, the framework we term ‘Open, Prior, and Independent Deliberate Discussion’ (OPIDD) presents a number of benefits. First, it will help the government take better stock of mining impacts before the commencement of a project. Second, OPIDD will entrench the government's fiduciary role in long-term community development. Third, it offers a benchmark or leverage to negotiate mining agreements that are underpinned by principles of sustainable development. While it could have widespread applicability in resource-rich countries, our proposal draws primarily on insights from Ghana's gold mining industry. We conclude that such a government-led initiative will be effective in revealing the potential developmental benefits of gold mining to host communities and the country at large while making mining companies responsible and accountable.