Empirical analysis of livelihood and environmental risks of galamsey in Ashanti and Western Ghana

Illegal small-scale gold mining (galamsey) presents persistent socio-economic and environmental challenges in Ghana, primarily driven by underlying economic vulnerabilities. This study adopts a concurrent mixed-methods approach, integrating quantitative surveys ( n = 50) with qualitative semi-structured interviews ( n = 80) in Kortwia-Abodom and Damang. Quantitative indicators demonstrate a significant financial pull mechanism, characterized by an aggregated median income of GHS 7200, which significantly outperforms regional agricultural baselines. High formal illiteracy rates (72%) restrict labor mobility, anchoring many in the informal mining sector. Concurrently, qualitative thematic analysis reveals that localized sociocultural and superstitious frameworks work to normalize occupational hazards, mitigating perceived ecological and physiological risks. Triangulated empirical data reveal severe riverine degradation, validating participant narratives through documented surface water Total Suspended Solids (TSS) proxies. Our findings indicate that centralized, militarized, top-down enforcement strategies fail because they disregard localized vulnerability contexts. Consequently, we propose decentralized, district-level mobile licensing and community-led ecological reclamation cooperatives as sustainable, structural policy alternatives.