AMDC helps develop an Artisanal and Small Scale Mining knowledge hub

(Paris, France) 15 May 2016 – The African Minerals Development Centre (AMDC) recently participated in a two day meeting in Paris, France organized by the Sustainable Artisanal Mining Project (SAM) and Swiss Resource Centre and Consultancies for Development (SKAT) to help formalize concepts for an Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM) International Knowledge Hub (IKH).  This meeting was held on the sidelines of the ICGLR-OECD-UN GoE Joint Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains.

 

The workshop sought to gain buy in from key stakeholders working in the ASM sector, including AMDC by sharing lessons learned from previous workshops and consolidating recommendations for the successful establishment of an ASM IKH.

 

In particular, the two-day workshop reviewed strategic challenges facing the formalization and professionalization of the ASM sector and how the ASM IKH may mitigate many of these challenges, including: 

-        Sustainability of funds: the Hub will generate income through various activities, will set up a Trust Fund, will advocate among donor groups

-        Complexity of the sector: the Hub will develop a Communication Guidelines as well as MoUs on how organisations will collaborate

-        Commitment: the Hub will identify champions, will establish a Steering Committee and thematic groups

 

In attending this meeting, AMDC was able to highlight the ways in which an ASM IKH can support the tenets of the Africa Mining Vision (AMV), which underscores and advocates for an enhanced ASM sector. This is particularly vital given that in Africa, ASM provides 3.7 million jobs and about 30 million depend on it for their livelihoods. Globally, 13 to 20 million people are involved in this subsector while a further 80-100 million depend on it.