Environmental and Socio-Economic Impact of Mining on Operational Communities in Tonkolili District Northern Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is a resource-rich country with mining being one of the main economic activity in the country. Mining operations has yielded mixed results across the country with the provision of employment opportunities, and revenues generation on one hand, and severe social, economic, and environmental impacts on the other hand. The present study investigates the environmental and socio-economic impacts of mining on local communities in Northern Sierra Leone. The overriding objectives were to assess local perception of the environment and socio-economic impacts of mining in their communities. To achieve this, 50 respondents were selected using a purposive sampling technique. The result revealed that 80% of the study participants stated that mining has created employment opportunities in contrast to 20% who stated otherwise. With regard to the impact of mining on livelihood, 70% of the respondents mentioned that mining operations have positively impacted their livelihood but 30% had an opposing view with some of them mentioning that mining has exacerbated the rate of loss of agricultural land and loss of other livelihood strategies. Mining has caused a wide array of environmental problems in the operational communities including land degradation, loss of land cover, water pollution, and siltation or sedimentation of water bodies. Thus, the government of and the other relevant authorities in Sierra Leone should enforce mining laws and policies to ensure that (1) operational communities benefit from mining proceeds, and (2) mining companies comply with their corporate social responsibilities and reduce the environmental, and social cost associated with their operations. Furthermore, environmental awareness campaigns should be strengthened in the affected communities targeting mining companies and artisanal miners alike on the need for environmental protection and sustainability.