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South‐South Irregular Migration : The Impacts of China's Informal Gold Rush in Ghana

Botchwey, Gabriel ; Crawford, Gordon ; Loubere, Nicholas LU orcid and Lu, Jixia (2019) In International Migration 57(4). p.310-328
Abstract
This article examines irregular South‐South migration from China to Ghana, and the role it played in transforming livelihoods and broader developmental landscapes. It looks at the entry of approximately 50,000 Chinese migrants into the informal small‐scale gold mining sector from 2008‐2013. These migrants mainly hailed from Shanglin County in Guangxi Province. In Ghana, they formed mutually beneficial relationships with local miners, both legal and illegal, introducing machinery that substantially increased gold production. However, the legal status of Chinese miners was particularly problematic as, by law, small‐scale mining is restricted to Ghanaian citizens. In mid‐2013, President Mahama established a military task force against illegal... (More)
This article examines irregular South‐South migration from China to Ghana, and the role it played in transforming livelihoods and broader developmental landscapes. It looks at the entry of approximately 50,000 Chinese migrants into the informal small‐scale gold mining sector from 2008‐2013. These migrants mainly hailed from Shanglin County in Guangxi Province. In Ghana, they formed mutually beneficial relationships with local miners, both legal and illegal, introducing machinery that substantially increased gold production. However, the legal status of Chinese miners was particularly problematic as, by law, small‐scale mining is restricted to Ghanaian citizens. In mid‐2013, President Mahama established a military task force against illegal mining, resulting in the deportation of many Chinese miners. The article examines the experiences of both Chinese migrants and Ghanaian miners. Findings are that irregular migration into an informal sector had long‐lasting impacts and played a significant role in the transformation of economic, political, and physical landscapes in Ghana. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
China, Ghana, Gold Mining, Migration, Gold Rush, Asian studies
in
International Migration
volume
57
issue
4
pages
310 - 328
publisher
Wiley-Blackwell
external identifiers
  • scopus:85054841936
ISSN
0020-7985
DOI
10.1111/imig.12518
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
6370db3c-5872-4bcd-bbd6-ecf4b8c38df1
date added to LUP
2018-10-14 17:14:51
date last changed
2022-04-25 17:43:10
@article{6370db3c-5872-4bcd-bbd6-ecf4b8c38df1,
  abstract     = {{This article examines irregular South‐South migration from China to Ghana, and the role it played in transforming livelihoods and broader developmental landscapes. It looks at the entry of approximately 50,000 Chinese migrants into the informal small‐scale gold mining sector from 2008‐2013. These migrants mainly hailed from Shanglin County in Guangxi Province. In Ghana, they formed mutually beneficial relationships with local miners, both legal and illegal, introducing machinery that substantially increased gold production. However, the legal status of Chinese miners was particularly problematic as, by law, small‐scale mining is restricted to Ghanaian citizens. In mid‐2013, President Mahama established a military task force against illegal mining, resulting in the deportation of many Chinese miners. The article examines the experiences of both Chinese migrants and Ghanaian miners. Findings are that irregular migration into an informal sector had long‐lasting impacts and played a significant role in the transformation of economic, political, and physical landscapes in Ghana.}},
  author       = {{Botchwey, Gabriel and Crawford, Gordon and Loubere, Nicholas and Lu, Jixia}},
  issn         = {{0020-7985}},
  keywords     = {{China; Ghana; Gold Mining; Migration; Gold Rush; Asian studies}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{310--328}},
  publisher    = {{Wiley-Blackwell}},
  series       = {{International Migration}},
  title        = {{South‐South Irregular Migration : The Impacts of China's Informal Gold Rush in Ghana}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/imig.12518}},
  doi          = {{10.1111/imig.12518}},
  volume       = {{57}},
  year         = {{2019}},
}