| Summary: | Recent trends in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASM) sector have left thousands of ASM miners jobless in Ghana. Due to the devastating pollution of the water bodies, air and land the government of Ghana in 2016 placed a ban on ASM in the country.The ban on artisanal and small scale mining has dire consequences on livelihoods of many Ghanaians.The study is aimed at examining the push-and-pull factors that drive people into small-scale mining and the consequences of the ban on livelihoods.The qualitative and quantitative research approach was used to gather and analyse the information for the study. The study found that the driving forces include high levels of poverty, low agricultural productivity, higher income from ASM, and inadequate alternative livelihood sources. In terms of ameliorating the adverse effects of the activities of small-scale miners on livelihoods, no support schemes exist in the mining communities. A major recommendation of the study is that small-scale mining firms should be required by law to introduce Alternative Livelihood Programmes or Interventions in the communities where they operate. This will help such communities effectively cope with the adverse effects of mining activities on their livelihoods.
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