‘We are searching for gold’: Exploration companies, corporate social responsibility and the ‘realities’ of mineral exploration in Ghana

Mineral exploration is the lifeblood of the global mining industry. Exploration companies locate rich mineral deposits to kickstart the mining process. Given the pivotal role of these companies in the mining value chain, their actions can have implications on the trajectory of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the mining industry. While several assessments of CSR at the production stage of mining now exist, comparatively fewer analyses have taken stock of its dynamics during mineral explo