Professional Review of Environmental Governance Frameworks for Extractive Industries in Zamfara State

The intensification of artisanal and small-scale mining in Zamfara State has outpaced the development of effective environmental governance frameworks, resulting in severe and in some cases irreversible pollution damage to soil, water, and community health. This professional review critically examines the environmental governance framework applicable to extractive industries in Zamfara State, identifying gaps, overlaps, and enforcement deficits. Documentary analysis of relevant federal and state legislation, regulations, and institutional mandates was conducted, covering the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act, environmental impact assessment regulations, and Zamfara State environmental law. Key informant interviews with officials from the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, and the Zamfara State Ministry of Environment assessed implementation realities. Findings identify critical governance gaps including inadequate mandatory environmental bonding requirements for artisanal miners, insufficient coordination between federal mining and environmental regulatory agencies, and complete absence of a functional small-scale mining environmental monitoring system in the state. The concurrent jurisdiction of multiple agencies creates confusion and enables compliance evasion. Zamfara State's environmental law predates the intensification of mining and lacks provisions for artisanal sector environmental obligations. The study recommends legislative reform to introduce fit-for-purpose small-scale mining environmental provisions, establishment of a joint federal-state environmental compliance unit for the mining sector, and introduction of mandatory environmental rehabilitation bonding scaled to operation size. Keywords: environmental governance, extractive industries, Zamfara State, artisanal mining, regulatory reform.