Technology, capital, and sustainability: Frontiers in just transitions for African mining

Transitions towards sustainability are crucial in the natural resource sector in Africa, particularly in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM). This sector is notably characterized by the extensive use of mercury for gold extraction, which poses significant risks to both human health and ecosystems. This study focuses on Tanzania, where international incentives to reduce mercury have led the state to promote alternative methods and scale up production primarily through cyanide leaching—a more mechanized gold extraction technique. This article examines the implementation of these strategies, identifies the barriers hindering this transition, and explores the resulting inequalities. We employ a mixed methods approach, combining surveys, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation. We adopt the Sustainability and Just Transitions frameworks for the Global South, arguing that applying an in-depth relational approach to the interactions between actors and technologies can illuminate the persistence of environmentally unsustainable practices within the local context. In conclusion, we advocate for international strategies aimed at the Global South to consider the how promoting the eradication of environmentally unsustainable practices can affect livelihood creation mechanisms. • The State is supporting mercury reduction through scaling up production and cyanide. • We apply just transitions framework exploring who benefits from this transition. • Poverty and urgency in ASGM can lead to suboptimal decisions and mercury use. • Mercury remains central due to access to capital, logistical, and trust challenges. • Community embedded technologies are critical in Global South transitions.