Abstract
This paper examines the potential for applying child-centred research
methodologies which involve children doing their own research (with
adult facilitators) within a transport and mobility context in West
Africa. Relatively little attention has been paid to the transport
needs of the poor and powerless within African transport policy and
planning: the specifics of children and young people's transport and
mobility needs are essentially unknown and unconsidered. Using evidence
from a small pilot study in Ghana, we reflect on both the opportunities
and the challenges of work in this field. Although the paper is focused
on the specific issues raised by child-centred research, it raises
broader questions regarding the potential for research partnerships
with vulnerable groups and, more specifically, the challenges of
developing more collaborative research processes within transport
studies, where technical priorities still regularly triumph over social
concerns.