Countries in West Africa generally have primary environmental and mining legislation that reflects modern sustainable development paradigms. Ghana has relatively well-developed subsidiary legislation to support practical implementation of the law by the mining sector, but in most other countries this is still being developed. The effectiveness of enforcement agencies is variable. Ghana is a progressive example; however, resource and capacity constraints are common among these institutions in many countries. Pressure to comply with legal obligations and incorporate good international industry practice can be expected to increase in West Africa, as is the case in other parts of the world.
