Policy Brief: ASM and Sustainability in Africa - Linkages as a Sustainable Livelihood Tool

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) is widespread in Africa and exploits a very large number of minerals. The conservative number of people involved is estimated to be more than 10 million. However, these estimates are speculative.

The Africa Mining Vision Action Plan (2011), under its Programme Cluster 4 on ASM, aims to “create a mining sector that harnesses the potential of artisanal and small scale mining to advance integrated and sustainable rural socioeconomic development.”