Mining Supply Chain Governance and Water Quality Outcomes in Illegal Mining Regions in Ghana: The Role of Intelligence-Led Policing and Community-Oriented Policing

Abstract

Illegal artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), locally known as galamsey, is a major driver of water pollution in Ghana’s mining regions, yet limited empirical evidence exists on how governance systems and policing strategies influence water quality within illegal mining supply chains. This study examines the relationship between Mining Supply Chain Governance (MSCG), Intelligence-Led Policing (ILP), Community-Oriented Policing (COP), and water quality across the Western, Western North, Ashanti, and Eastern regions of Ghana using a mixed-methods approach. Laboratory analyses of river water samples were combined with qualitative interviews involving 251 stakeholders, including regulators, police officers, miners, community leaders, and residents, with thematic analysis conducted using NVivo. Results revealed extremely high turbidity levels and contamination by toxic elements such as mercury, cadmium, and lead in several river systems. Four key themes emerged: water quality degradation, governance failures, mining supply chain dynamics, and policing constraints, highlighting weak institutional coordination and limited enforcement capacity that enable illegal mining activities to persist. Drawing on Institutional Theory and Routine Activity Theory, the findings demonstrate that governance failures and policing gaps significantly contribute to environmental degradation, while emphasizing the complementary roles of ILP and COP in strengthening environmental governance and improving water monitoring systems, ultimately offering practical policy insights for sustainable mining governance in Ghana and similar resource-dependent contexts.