NATURAL RESOURCES EXTRACTION AND EDUCATION IN GHANA: UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF GOLD MINING ON CHILDREN'S EDUCATION IN THE KENYASI COMMUNITY.

Abstract

This qualitative study explores the factors driving school-going children's participation in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) activities in Kenyasi, Ghana, and the impacts on their education. The study employed in-depth interviews with parents, teachers, and a community leader to gain insights into the complex economic, social, and cultural dynamics underlying child labor in the mining sector. The findings reveal that endemic poverty resulting from lack of stable parental employment is the primary factor pushing children into ASGM work, as families struggle to meet basic needs. Additionally, entrenched cultural norms and beliefs that justify child mining as a household duty exacerbate the problem. The research further demonstrates how children's involvement in mining severely disrupts their education through absenteeism, exhaustion, health issues, and prioritization of short-term income over long-term learning. To address this challenge, the study recommends the development of an interconnected approach encompassing poverty alleviation programs, improved affordability and access to education, awareness campaigns to shift social attitudes, stronger enforcement of child labor laws, and collaboration among stakeholders: government, child advocacy groups, community leaders and parents. These sustainable solutions must tackle the interconnected economic, social, and cultural factors perpetuating hazardous child mining. This study contributes to the literature on the complex relationship between gold mining and human capital development in sub-Saharan Africa. Keywords: child labor, artisanal and small-scale gold mining, education, poverty, cultural norms.