Imagining a future from the pit: Future aspirations of young artisanal-small scale miners in rural northern Ghana

Abstract

Artisanal Small-Scale Mining (ASM) in rural northern Ghana provides significant income earning opportunities for young men and women. However, little is known about the role of ASM in the imagined futures of these young people. This paper draws ghhon a qualitative study involving semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions held with 35 rural youth to fill this information gap. Data were analysed using the thematic analysis approach. The findings show that rural young miners imagine a future in which ASM would not be their mainstay of employment. Instead, ASM is viewed as a means to accumulate money to either restart or further their education, secure professional employment, or to establish their own business. Finance together with unforeseen life events and hazards such as accidents, death, illness, and injuries are cited by all respondents as key challenges that might make it impossible for them to realise their imagined futures. These findings have important implications for policies seeking to promote youth employment in rural Africa