Mining: A majority of Togolese citizens want better regulation (Afrobaromètre)

Mining

Wednesday, 27 July 2022 12:44

Mining: A majority of Togolese citizens want better regulation (Afrobaromètre)

(Togo First) - Most Togolese citizens “agree” or “strongly agree” that the country needs more environmental regulation in its mining sector. This is one of the conclusions of a survey that Afrobaromètre carried out last March. The study covered 1,200 people.

Specifically, 86% of the surveyed shared this opinion; while 60% of them believe that the benefits exceed the costs, such as pollution, when it comes to extracting natural resources in Togo.

“Besides asking for better regulation, Togolese people living in prefectures with natural resource deposits agree more than other citizens that they have a say in the matter, that they receive a fair compensation, and that benefits exceed the costs regarding the mining of natural resources that takes place near them,” the study indicates.

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Exactly 67% of all those surveyed claim that ordinary citizens can influence the mining operations, while 57% of them estimate that populations get fair compensation.

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Reality vs Perception

These opinions contrast a little with the situation on the field since it is not evident that the people living in areas where mining happens benefit more than communities without resources, in terms of infrastructure, services, or road quality.

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Fig. 3 somehow highlights the perception of those surveyed, even if it does not really match the observations made on the fields and if “efforts must still be made in regards to the legal framework of extractive industries.”

Ayi Renaud Dossavi

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