A flash in the pan? Agential constructivist perspectives on local content, governance, and the large-scale mining–artisanal and small-scale mining interface in West Africa

•New initiatives aim to boost governance and development in Africa's mining sectors.•The UNGPs, EITI, AMV, WAEMU Mining Code, and ECOWAS Mining Directive are examined.•We then analyze Ghana, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Burkina Faso as evocative cases.•These initiatives fall short of cultivating ASM as a vital source of local content.