Public health impacts of gold mining in Ghana: A scoping review of environmental exposures and intersectoral resilience strategies

Abstract

Background: Ghana’s rapid expansion of large-scale and artisanal gold mining has intensified environmental degradation and public health risks in affected communities. Although prior research has largely focused on contamination and ecosystem impacts, less is known about how these hazards are experienced in everyday life.
Aim: This scoping review therefore aimed to map and synthesise evidence on the health and well-being impacts of gold mining on communities in Ghana, including community adaptation and coping responses and the actions of institutions and other stakeholders to address these impacts.
Setting: The review examines evidence from communities located in gold-mining regions across Ghana.
Methods: Guided by Arksey and O’Malley’s framework and the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Manual, we searched PubMed, MEDLINE, and Scopus, alongside grey literature and university repositories. Screening and data charting were conducted in Microsoft Excel, and reporting followed PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Nineteen empirical studies published between 2012 and 2025 were included.
Results: Reported outcomes included respiratory illness, dermatological conditions, waterborne infections, malaria, psychosocial distress, and limited evidence on reproductive health effects, linked to exposure to polluted air, contaminated water, and ecological disruption. Mining also undermined livelihoods reduced agricultural productivity, and increased food insecurity. Communities responded through livelihood diversification, informal support networks, alternative water use, and migration, although some strategies introduced new risks. Institutional responses were fragmented, small-scale, and weakly enforced.
Conclusion: Gold mining generates multilayered risks affecting community health and well-being.
Contribution: This study highlights the need for community based participatory research, integrated environmental health surveillance and stronger regulatory enforcement to mitigate mining-related public health harms.