Photo Caption : Artisanal and Small-Scale workers mining Gold at along a river in Ghana
This year, TrustAfrica has been at the forefront, supporting two major Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) conferences and advocating for responsible mining and inclusive sustainability practices. These efforts are part of our broader mission to ensure that the ASM sector is both sustainable and beneficial for all stakeholders involved.
In February, TrustAfrica co-hosted a side event at the Alternative Mining Indaba 2024 in Cape Town, South Africa. In January, we participated in the 5th Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Conference of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) in Uganda. These events brought together over 160 participants, including representatives from ASM, the private sector, government, and civil society organizations (CSOs), to discuss and promote sustainable mining practices.
A significant issue discussed at these conferences was mercury pollution, which remains a pressing problem in the small-scale gold mining sector across Africa. Many miners use mercury to amalgamate gold, often without proper safety measures, leading to severe environmental and health impacts. This issue is particularly relevant in ASM, where mercury is used and discarded without appropriate safeguards, posing significant risks to miners and surrounding communities.
The conferences were part of our RECLAIM Sustainability! programme, which aims to foster genuine and inclusive sustainability in the ASM value chain. This program ensures that the interests, voices, and rights of miners and other stakeholders are represented in decision-making processes, promoting the sustainable use of natural resources, decent work conditions, fair value distribution, and responsible consumption.
A key strategy for achieving these objectives is through inclusive dialogue. The Alternative Mining Indaba 2024 event, organized with Southern Resource Watch, was themed “Unlocking Sustainable Mining for Development: Insights from the African Mining Vision Domestication Research and Health Impact of Mercury Exposure in Ghana.” At this event, TrustAfrica and its partners presented critical findings from two significant initiatives: the African Mining Vision (AMV) Domestication Research Report for Ghana, Kenya, and Uganda, and the documentary “Poisoned for Gold,” which highlights the health impacts of mercury exposure on communities in Ghana.
These findings sparked discussions among stakeholders, leading to the development of inclusive recommendations for advocating sustainable mining practices. TrustAfrica and its partners plan to organize validation and policy dialogue sessions in each of the study countries and to engage in regional and international platforms to share these key findings.
Our approach aims to foster informed decision-making and collaborative efforts towards sustainable mining practices across Africa. By promoting inclusive dialogue and sharing research insights, we strive to create a more sustainable and equitable future for the ASM sector
