Data Analysis

A qualitative approach was used. This gave rich detailed and in-depth knowledge of social phenomena especially in networks and relations that cannot easily be measured (Creswell and Poth, 2018). This approach used a case study design with focus on Denkyembuor District, a known hot spot of illegal small-scale gold mining activities. The District is selected because it is the epicenter of galamsey operations with different actors involved and with documented challenges of enforcement, political interference, and community engagement (Oppong-Anning, 2023). The case study design allowed for the in-depth exploration of operational, political and socio-cultural phenomena; offering insight into the vertical patronage hierarchies and horizontal communities that sustain galamsey. Single-district coverage draw on the advantages of depth and context sensitivity; it presents a model that will inform understanding of similar contexts within and outside Ghana.