Mineralizing Africa and artisanal mining's democratizing influences

Abstract

This chapter focusses on the extent and significance of the artisanal mining sector in Africa. Artisanal mining is defined as individual or collective labour-intensive mineral extraction with limited capital investment using basic tools, manual devices of simple portable machinery. The historical trajectories of Sub-Saharan Africa's colonial and post-colonial mining are reviewed. Thereafter the chapter provides historical background on Tanzania specifically to illustrate the present nature of mineralizing and democratizing processes