Abstract In Ghana, small-scale/artisanal gold mining has been on-going for more than a century. Artisanal mining has been the support for the rural people who more often than not are forced to sacrifice their farmlands and means of livelihood for large-scale mining operations. In order to reduce the activity of small scale/artisanal during the colonial era, laws were passed to bar indigenous operators from dealing in gold ore, amalgam, bullion, retorted gold, slags, concentrates and mercury. In recent years, however, under the auspices of the German non-governmental agency, Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) and the World Bank, the Ghana government has undertaken a number of initiatives to formalise and regulate small-scale mining operations. Unfortunately, small-scale mining activities are characterised by lack of capital and minimum use of appropriate technology in the mining and treatment of the minerals into finished products. In addition, the industry is associated with land degradation and water pollution. This paper explores possible strategies that aim to make small-scale gold mining in Ghana more sustainable (i.e. more efficient, less destructive to the environment and more meaningful to the operators and the country as a whole). The roles of stakeholders in the small-scale mining industry in Ghana are also identified. It concludes that, for sustainable small-scale mining, a pragmatic synergistic approach must be adopted by all stakeholders in the organisation, regularisation, training and support of small-scale mining operations in Ghana. Mineable lands need to be delineated, illegal operators should be organised and brought under a responsible umbrella, small-scale mining operators should be supported with funds, technology and education, and alternative livelihood programmes must be pursued in mining communities.

Abstract Gold mineralization at the Damang deposit is unique among known deposits in Ghana, comprising two distinct styles of mineralization. These include a stratigraphically controlled auriferous quartz-pebble metaconglomerate that is overprinted by later gold contained in a complex fault-fracture vein array with surrounding hydrothermal alteration. A systematic study using portable, field-based infrared reflectance spectroscopy has proven to be a valuable exploration tool at Damang. Spectral parameters such as the ferrous-iron response, the AlOH/H 2 O absorption depth ratio, and automated mineral identification successfully distinguish metasedimentary and metadoleritic lithologic units at Damang. Systematic variations in these parameters, together with the water/OH absorption depth, both downhole and in three-dimensional models, provide vectors to gold mineralization. The spectral parameters AlOH wavelength and MgOH wavelength are used to define the regolith profile at Damang, throughout which the ferrous-iron response parameter provides a reliable indicator of gold mineralization. All recorded changes in spectral parameters can be linked to sample petrography and are supported by mineral-chemical data. These results show that portable infrared spectroscopy can be used in a variety of roles, including regolith mapping, geologic mapping and logging, and recognition of hydrothermal alteration patterns, as each lithology and alteration style exhibit distinct and identifiable spectral characteristics. These spectrally derived alteration proxies indentify a broader zone of potential gold mineralization than gold grades alone, providing a larger target for exploration. The rapidity of data collection and ease of analysis of spectral data make infrared reflectance spectroscopy a useful methodology that can be readily incorporated into both preexisting and established exploration programs in other tropical terrains.