Digital Justice and Inclusive Resource Governance in Zimbabwean Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Using AI and Blockchain

Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) is central to Zimbabwe’s rural economy, yet it remains characterized by informality, environmental degradation, and exclusion from formal governance and value chains. Amid growing global demand for critical minerals, this study examines how digital technologies specifically Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain can be leveraged to promote inclusive, transparent, and just resource governance in Zimbabwe’s ASM sector. Anchored in a Digital Justice and Inclusive Resource Governance framework, the study adopts a qualitative research design combining semi-structured interviews with miners, civil society actors, and government officials, document analysis, and comparative case studies from Rwanda, Ghana, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The findings reveal significant digital potential alongside deep structural constraints. Blockchain technologies offer promise for mineral traceability, ethical sourcing, and local value retention, while AI applications can enhance environmental monitoring and mine safety. However, limited infrastructure, digital illiteracy, fragmented institutions, and regulatory inertia constrain adoption. Crucially, evidence shows that digital interventions succeed only when designed through participatory, community-led processes; otherwise, they risk reinforcing surveillance and exclusion. The study recommends a national digital mining strategy, community technology hubs, participatory technology co-design, and targeted Blockchain pilot projects anchored in data sovereignty and miner rights. It contributes a context-sensitive framework that positions digital transformation not as a technocratic fix, but as a democratic project essential to equitable and sustainable mineral governance in Zimbabwe’s ASM sector.