Digital Transformation and Smart Mining for Sustainable Small-Scale Mining in Ghana: A Systematic Review of Technology–Governance–Livelihood Interactions

Abstract

Illegal artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), or galamsey, in Ghana presents persistent environmental, social, and governance challenges despite growing policy attention. Recent literature emphasizes digital and smart mining technologies such as remote sensing, machine learning, and block chain as potential solutions for monitoring, formalisation, and supply chain transparency. However, evidence on their effectiveness remains fragmented and unevenly distributed. This systematic review synthesizes 25 empirical and policy-relevant studies published between 2020 and 2025 to evaluate how digital interventions interact with governance structures and livelihood realities. Following the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, the studies were assessed across four domains: technology deployment, environmental sustainability, workforce and socioeconomic impacts, and institutional governance. A four-objective contribution framework (High/Medium/Low) was applied, and the concept of technology–governance–livelihood alignment was introduced to explain why technically viable solutions often fail to produce expected outcomes in practice. The findings indicate that while satellite-based monitoring and machine learning models are technically capable of detecting illegal mining and environmental degradation, their effectiveness is constrained by fragmented institutional mandates, limited enforcement capacity, and socio-economic barriers affecting miners’ participation. Environmental harms, particularly mercury contamination and deforestation, are well-documented, yet workforce and gender impacts remain critically understudied. The review demonstrates that successful ASM interventions require integrated strategies that combine technological innovation with governance reform spanning national regulatory bodies and customary/traditional authoritiesand livelihood-sensitive approaches. Such governance reforms will also need to pay attention to the role of local government assemblies as the development authority of areas. The alignment lens provides a conceptual framework for designing interventions that are technically robust, institutionally feasible, and socially inclusive.