Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Resources Policy journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/resourpol The future of mining in Ghana: Are stakeholders prepared for the adoption of autonomous mining systems? Bruno Ayaga Kansake a,* , Felix Adaania Kaba b , Nelson Kofi Dumakor-Dupey c , Clement Kweku Arthur c a Missouri S&T, Rolla, MO, USA b Newmont Golden Ridge Limited, Akyem, Ghana c University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Autonomous mining systems Mining stakeholders Unemployment Mining education fund ABSTRACT Autonomous mining systems (AMS) are being developed and deployed for improving mine productivity, safety and efficiency in countries like Australia and USA. Nonetheless, AMS implementation is known to cause social challenges such as job losses. These systems are expected to eventually be introduced into the Ghanaian mining industry. Thus, it is necessary to understand stakeholder perceptions of AMS to inform policy direction towards their implementation in Ghana. Such knowledge does not exist in the literature. This paper assesses the pre- paredness of mine stakeholders for the adoption of AMS to surface mining industry in Ghana. Data was gathered using closed, and open-ended questionnaires and analyzed in MS Excel using pivot charts to identify re- spondents’ knowledge levels, and preparedness for adoption of AMS. Detailed qualitative and quantitative content analyses of the only mining engineering program in Ghana were conducted to assess the adequacy of the program in meeting the future skill demands of the mining industry. The results reveal that even though re- spondents generally had knowledge of AMS, they expressed unwillingness to accept AMS into Ghanaian mines due to fear of increased unemployment. University courses were perceived by the respondents to focus on mundane and outdated mining technologies. These perceptions were corroborated by detailed content analysis of mining curricula of a Ghanaian university, as 48% of undergraduate and 75% of postgraduate mining courses were focused on these mundane technologies. Thus, avenues for acquiring skill set demands of future mining operations do not exist. We propose setting up a mining education fund (MEF) for equipping mining programs with the needed facilities to train stakeholders (employees and future employees) in AMS to provide adequate local labor that can work with AMS. 1. Introduction In this paper, we investigate the preparedness of Ghanaian mine stakeholders for the adoption of autonomous mining systems (AMS) to Ghana's surface mining industry. The stakeholders considered in this work include current and potential employees of mining companies, academic faculty in mining fields, workers of regulatory bodies and mining institutions. This group of stakeholders is key for the successful implementation of AMS given the critical role of local expertise in the success and cost of mining operations. This study is driven by the rapid global implementation and acceptance of AMS. It is envisaged that AMS will ultimately be adopted to Ghana's mining industry. Thus, this paper will provide important data for formulating policies and plans to ensure successful adoption of AMS to Ghana. It will also add to the body of knowledge given that there is no such study in the literature. Mining contributes enormously to the sustenance and growth of global and national economies through the provision of raw materials, employment, revenues and foreign exchange (Carvalho, 2017; ICMM, 2017; Cordes et al., 2016; Solomon et al., 2008; Walser, 2000). The International Council on Mining & Metals (ICMM, 2014) reported that globally, formal (licensed large-scale) mining employs approximately 2.5 million people. Many resource-rich countries, especially the de- veloping ones, have experienced strong socioeconomic growth pro- pelled by the discovery and extraction of valuable minerals (McMahon and Moreira, 2014). For example, Botswana's economy grew from agriculture-depended to mineral-depended economy as agricultural https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2019.101411 Received 9 December 2018; Received in revised form 10 April 2019; Accepted 21 May 2019 * Corresponding author. Missouri University of Science and Technology, Mining and Nuclear Engineering Department, Room 200, 710 University Dr. (Missouri Enterprise Building), Rolla, MO, 65409, USA. E-mail address: bakt27@mst.edu (B.A. Kansake). Resources Policy 63 (2019) 101411 0301-4207/ © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. T