The IGF was invited to participate in a 3-day workshop (including a 1-day site visit) on mine closure and rehabilitation in Burkina Faso, which was organized by the Burkina Faso Ministry of Energy, Mines and Quarries, in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Water and Sanitation. This workshop brought together stakeholders from different authorities and industries, as well as international actors, to share good practices on mine closure and rehabilitation and exchange case studies.
Mr. Yacouba Zabré Gouba, the Minister of Energy, Mines, and Quarries, delivered an introductory speech at the workshop, which took place in Ouagadougou and saw around 100 participants over 3 days.
The IGF’s Senior Policy Advisor Grégoire Bellois participated virtually on July 10, 2024, delivering a 30-minute presentation covering the following:
- a presentation about the IGF
- principles of proper mine closure
- social considerations during post-mining transition
- productive use of land post-mining
- examples of successful rehabilitations
After the presentation, there was a 1-hour Q&A session before additional presentations on the mining and quarrying sector in Burkina Faso, the regulatory framework around mining and mine closure and rehabilitation, and some case studies on mine closure and rehabilitation.
One important outcome of this workshop was that participants expressed willingness to develop a solid national guidance on mine closure and rehabilitation, especially one addressing social transition.