Abstract:
This study was titled, The Contribution of Mining Sector to the Rural Development in
Rwanda, A case of Ruli Sector. The study’s objectives were to analyze the contribution of
mining activities to the social rural livelihoods of the local community in Ruli sector, to
examine the contribution of mining activities to the economic livelihoods of the local
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community in Ruli sector, and to find out the challenges faced by the miners and local
community in Ruli sector in relations to the mining activities daily. The researcher employed
a mixture of qualitative and quantitative research design, and using the Yamane formulae the
sample size of the study was 88 who were selected using simple random and stratified
sampling techniques. Questionnaire, interviews, and documentation were used in collecting
the data while descriptive statistical analysis and thematic analysis were used in analyzing the
data. The study finds that the mining activities impact the livelihoods of the Ruli community
socially by strengthening social cohesion and community relationships. The study finds also
that the mining activities impact the economic livelihoods of the Ruli community by raising
their income and creating employment opportunities. The study also finds the challenges
faced in the mining activities in Ruli sector such as lack of education, illegal mining and lack
of insurance. Finally, the study recommends that community engagement programs should be
prioritized and implement more policies to enhance gender equality in mining sector as well
as provides more training to the miners so that their skills should be sharpened
