Access to Financial Capital influencing women Participation in Artisanal and Small Scale Mining: A Case of Taita Taveta County, Kenya.
- June 15, 2021
- Posted by: rsispostadmin
- Categories: IJRISS, Social Science
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume V, Issue V, May 2021 | ISSN 2454–6186
David Mugo Thiongo1*, Florence Ondieki-Mwaura2 & Miriam Omolo3
1,2Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, P.O. Box 62,000-00200, Nairobi, Kenya
3Programme Director, African Policy Research Institute
*Corresponding author
Abstract
The Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector plays a significant role in the growth development of the Kenyan economy. The ASM sector act as a major source of livelihood for both men and women who engage in the sector. However, women are yet to fully benefit from this sector due to socio-economic factors such as cultural practices, legal framework as well as access to finance constraints. Nevertheless, while empirical evidence seems to be conclusive concerning socio-cultural factors, limited studies have focused on the issue of financial access-the focus of this investigation. We apply a cross-sectional survey design with a target population of 230 women working in ASM sector within Taita Taveta county. Stratified sampling was adopted to select 146 women from whom data was collected using semi-structured questionnaires. We establish that accessibility to mining tools and equipment, skills and knowledge on finance affects women participation in the ASM negatively. Provision of credit and knowledge of financial management is very critical towards enhancing women participation in the ASM sector in Taita Taveta.
Key Words: Finance, Artisanal Mining, Cross-Sectional, Participation, Small Scale.
1.0 Introduction
Globally, more than 100 million individuals benefit from ASM specifically, emerging economies of Asia, Africa, Oceania, and South and Central America (Hilson & McQuilken, 2014). ASM supports hundreds of millions of people livelihoods and has grown expressively in recent times, from a projected 10 million mineworkers in 1999 to some 20-30 million two decades later. Along with the growing recognition of the socio-economic importance of artisanal and small-scale mining, is the realization that gender inclusivity is key to the success of efforts to toughen mining as a supportable financial sector (GrOW, 2017).
