Peer-reviewed article
Supporting the economic and health resilience of last mile adolescent girls and young Women in mining communities: A global and national level comparative policy analysis.
Randolph-Koranteng N, Chidwick H, Kwagala B, Mensah D, Kapiriri L ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This policy analysis examines whether global and national policies in Ghana and Uganda address the health and economic needs of adolescent girls and young women working in artisanal mining. The study reviewed 14 global and 27 national policies from 2010-2023 and found that while policies commit to sexual and reproductive health, healthcare access, education and vocational training, none specifically target the unique challenges faced by mining communities. The authors conclude that adolescent girls in artisanal mining need to be recognized as a vulnerable population deserving priority attention in policy frameworks.
Key points
- Adolescent girls and young women in artisanal mining in Ghana and Uganda experience poor sexual and reproductive health outcomes linked to risky behaviours, poverty and poor healthcare access
- Global and national policies show alignment on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, universal health coverage, youth employability and child labour, but lack specificity for artisanal mining communities
- National policies in Ghana and Uganda focus on sexual and reproductive health, equitable healthcare access, education and vocational skills training but do not address unique challenges of last-mile adolescents in mining communities
- The gap between global commitments and national policy implementation suggests a need for policies that specifically identify and prioritize adolescent girls in artisanal mining as a vulnerable population
Limitations
This is a document analysis that examines what policies say, not whether they are implemented or effective in practice. The study does not assess outcomes for adolescent girls themselves or evaluate the actual impact of existing policies.
Abstract
Purpose The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) recognize the complex intersections of health, economic development, and mining activities. This is exemplified among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) who work in artisanal mining (ASM), in Ghana and Uganda, who experience general and poor sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes, partly due to risky behaviors, poverty and poor access to quality healthcare. Achieving the SDGs necessitates translating global goals into actionable national policies, considering local contexts. To date, the literature assessing the degree to which policies address intersecting health and economic needs of AGYW in ASM communities is limited. This paper examines the extent to which global and national (Ghana and Uganda) policies focus on the economic and health needs of last-mile AGYW in ASM communities in Ghana and Uganda. Methods Using Daglish's (2020) Ready your materials, Extract data, Analyze data and Distil (READ) policy analysis approach, a comparative analysis was conducted on 14 global (2010-2023) and 27 national (2010-2023) Uganda and Ghana policy documents on mining, SRH, socio-economic well-being, gender and adolescents. Results & conclusion The global and national policies showed alignment in their commitment to addressing adolescent SRH, attaining Universal Health coverage, youth employability, and child labor. Although the national policies focused on SRH, equitable healthcare access, education, and vocational skills training, they did not specifically address the unique challenges of last-mile adolescents in ASM communities. It is important that ASM-AGYW are identified as vulnerable last mile populations and ensure their SRH needs and intersecting challenges are addressed and prioritized in policies.