Francis Arthur-Holmes

Francis Arthur-Holmes is a Research Fellow at the School of Strategy, Marketing and Innovation within the Faculty of Business & Law at the University of Portsmouth. His research focuses on artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in Africa, with concentrated fieldwork in Ghana addressing socio-economic and gendered dimensions of mineral extraction.

His research interests include:

• Interactions between large-scale mining corporations and artisanal miners
• Gender dynamics in mining labor organization and leadership
• Youth livelihood strategies in informal mining economies
• Formalization policies for artisanal mining sectors
• Governance challenges in African mineral supply chains

These areas directly support UN Sustainable Development Goals 5 (Gender Equality) and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). Recent publications analyze cohabitation frameworks between mining sectors, gendered livelihood impacts, and youth agency in rural Ghanaian contexts. His methodological approach combines qualitative fieldwork with policy analysis, revealing tensions between economic informality and sustainable development. Work demonstrates significant academic engagement with 39 Mendeley readers for key 2025 articles and emerging citation metrics.