State, community and environmentalism: a comparative study of Tanchara and Cherikpong in resisting mining operations in the Upper West region of Ghana

This study focuses on the narratives of resistances to mining, and environment related conflicts in two communities in Ghana-Tanchara and Cherikpong. In Tanchara, mining operations have been halted and the company’s stage of operations was limited to prospecting, but in Cherikpong, the company is at an advanced stage of exploration with the next stage being mining. Using a comparative approach, the paper identifies the reasons that led to Tanchara successfully resisting mining but Cherikpong could not. I argue throughout this paper that the success of a local resistance movement is possible through the advancement of reasons of livelihood, ecological impacts, the sacredness of nature and above all spirituality. These are only possible if there is unity between the elite and the traditional opinion leaders. The paper establishes that the influence of policy entrepreneurs in such a situation is paramount in achieving success. This is demonstrated by the collaboration between the Tanchara community and Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organizational Development (CIKOD) in the deployment of a biocultural community protocol (BCP) in resisting Azumah Resources in the Tanchara community leading to the absolute rejection of mining.