Gold mining on the outskirts of the town of Houndé in Burkina Faso, from enchantment to disenchantment, even annihilation: a dashed hope for sustainable development

Our study aims to assess the contribution of gold mining to the sustainable development of the population and the town of Houndé. Both primary and secondary data were used. The study revealed that the installation of an industrial gold mine on the outskirts of Houndé has been the hope of real development. It created 700 direct jobs and 1,000 non-permanent jobs during the construction phase. According to our research, 66.7% of companies in the mining zones came to the area thanks to mining activities. A strong dynamic among land players in Houndé between 2010 and 2020, with gold miners and miners dominating, accounting for 35% of land holders in both allocated and unallocated zones. As for the respondents, 64% believe that gold mining is behind this strong demand for land in Houndé. The dynamics of the land actors in Houndé have led to land mutations, the most dominant of which is the sale of plots. The study also reveals that in 2020, the dominant land use and occupation units are built-up areas. The market value of land in Houndé is high, up to 10,000,000 FCFA for a 400 m² plot. The mining fund for local development and corporate social responsibility have enabled socio-economic investments to be made, according to 26.56% of respondents. For 94% of respondents, the town of Houndé owes its economic, demographic and spatial development to gold mining.