Microfinance, informality, and the transformation of illegal artisanal mining supply chains: A bibliometric assessment from Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is a major source of income in many developing regions, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet it often operates in informal and economically marginalised settings. This study examines illegal ASM in Ghana and reframes the issue not only as a governance and environmental challenge but also as a critical financing gap that reinforces informality and fragmented supply chains. To explore how microfinance relates to ASM supply chains and the associated sustainability and policy implications, the study applies a bibliometric analysis. Unlike earlier research that adopts a broad ASM perspective, this study focuses specifically on illegal and informal mining activities in Ghana and Sub-Saharan Africa. It evaluates how the absence of appropriate financial systems sustains unregulated practices and dependence on exploitative informal financiers, while noting that microfinance can support transitions toward legality and environmental compliance. Using bibliometric software, 1027 documents were collected from Scopus and Dimensions covering publications from 1997 to 2024. After removing 802 duplicates, 225 documents were analysed. Thematic mapping and network visualisation show increasing attention to sustainable supply chain finance, cooperation models, resilience, governance, and traceability. However, the findings reveal a structural gap. Microfinance and financial inclusion initiatives are significantly underrepresented in studies on illegal mining supply chains, despite their potential to reduce reliance on informal funding sources. The analysis also indicates limited collaboration between mining governance and financial development scholars. The study identifies key research gaps and proposes directions for positioning microfinance as a strategic mechanism for formalisation and sustainable ASM supply chains.