Artisanal Sand Mining, Local Power Structures and Resource Governance in Nigeria

Abstract

Rapid urbanisation and infrastructure development have transformed artisanal sand mining into one of the growing extractive activities in Nigeria. While existing studies have progressively documented the dire environmental implications of sand mining, there is a dearth of research on the political processes through which access to the resource is negotiated, controlled, and regulated. To this end, this paper examined the synergy between sand mining, local power structures, and resource governance in Nigeria, explaining how informal actors at the community level influence sand mining governance and the consequences of these dynamics for sustainable resource governance. The paper adopted a qualitative research design solely based on secondary data sources. The collected data were further analysed using content analysis to analyse evidential documents relating to resource governance and institutional coordination within the sand mining sector. The paper argued that artisanal sand mining in Nigeria has transcended a livelihood activity to become a locally embedded political economy characterised by overarching conflicts over access, authority, and economic benefits. It was further revealed that although the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007 provides the formal legal framework for mineral governance, regulatory responses to artisanal sand mining remain constrained by institutional fragmentation, centralised administrative control over resources, and limited policy focus on the peculiarities of sand extraction. As a result, sand resource governance in Nigeria operates through an informal structure that shapes the extraction patterns beyond the effective control of statutory institutions. The paper concluded that strengthening resource governance in Nigeria requires systemic institutional reforms that recognise the local realities of artisanal sand mining while enhancing regulatory coordination across all levels of government. To this end, this paper recommended that there should be a comprehensive review of the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007 to accommodate explicit regulatory provisions for artisanal sand mining with greater participation of state and local governments in monitoring and enforcement of sand extraction in the country thereby facilitating intergovernmental and interagency collaboration among the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development, the Federal and State Ministries of Environment, and the Environment and Sanitation Departments of the Local Governments. This paper contributes to the emerging literature on natural resource governance by reconceptualising artisanal sand mining as a political economy and resource governance issue rather than a mere environmental or ecological concern. It further contributes to amplifying SDG 16, which advocates peace, justice, and strong institutions.