More than 50 government representatives from 17 African countries attended a workshop in Yaoundé, Cameroon from February 26 to March 1 on how to implement the IGF’s guidance on managing artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). This workshop was co-hosted with the Government of Cameroon’s Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development and the APC-EU Development Minerals Programme.
Please read the meeting report online, available in French only.
The objectives of the workshop are to:
- Train government representatives on how to apply the guidance to their national contexts.
- Create opportunities for knowledge sharing and peer learning on cross-cutting ASM issues and challenges.
- Establish a community of practice to support the integration of the guidance among Francophone African governments.
- Produce action plans for how to implement the guidance within national contexts.
The interactive four-day workshop took participants through the three phases of the guidance, as they worked in small groups to design ASM management strategies and implementation plans. The ASM sector in Cameroon served as a case study for discussions and activities, with participants visiting an artisanal gold mining to deepen their understanding of the local context. The workshop was furthered enriched through country case studies from Guinea and Morocco, peer learning exchanges, and insights from the ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Participants were asked to work with their colleagues on Return to Work plans, presented at the close of Day 4.
Governments represented at the workshop will include: Benin*; Burkina Faso; Burundi; Cameroon, Chad; Côte d’Ivoire*; Democratic Republic of the Congo*; Gabon; Guinea; Madagascar; Mali; Morocco; Mauritania; Niger; Republic of the Congo; Senegal; and Togo*.
*not an IGF member