July 2018

Artisanal and small-scale mining newsletter

Dear Friends,

The IIED artisanal and small-scale mining team has been actively progressing work on the Tanzanian ASM dialogue programme and global research on ASM.

Following on from the successful Tanzanian ASM national dialogue event in Geita in November 2017, the team has been working with local partners to lay out the foundation for the ‘action’ process and develop an ASM roadmap for reform. And we conducted phase two thematic dialogues in Tanzania on 25-26 June 2018 which will further inform the ASM roadmap development.

IIED led two global research reports published in January and June 2018: Global trends in ASM: A review of key numbers and issues; and Women in ASM: Challenges and requirements for greater participation.

The ASM team

The second country dialogue

Tanzania ASM Dialogue and Action Process

IIED in collaboration with Tanzanian partners conducted an ASM action dialogue event in Geita, Tanzania in November 2017. The four-day event brought together about 90 participants including miners, government officials and representatives from large mining companies, and civil society organisations. The dialogue followed a year of intensive research and engagement conducted in collaboration with our national partners, HakiMadini, MTL Consulting and HakiRasilimali. Download the full dialogue research report and event report below. See the photos from the dialogue event on Flickr.

To lead the action process, a Tanzanian ASM Learning and Leadership Group (LLG) was initiated, with twelve members to represent key ministries, local government, miners, mining associations, civil society, and learning institutions.

The first ASM-LLG meeting took place in January 2018, where members voted for a chair and co-chair to serve the group for the first year. A second Tanzanian ASM-LLG meeting was held on 19-20 June in Dodoma where IIED and ASM-LLG discussed progress of the roadmap and strategies on work plans. We'll continue engaging with the Ministry of Minerals and we plan to complete the roadmap document by the end of 2018.

ASM18: Voices of ASM, visions of the future

Women and ASM

In September 2018 we will host a session on Women and ASM at the International Conference on Artisanal and Small-scale Mining and Quarrying in Livingstone, Zambia, where we will sponsor nine participants from mining communities. The session will provide a platform for participants to showcase their experiences, share information and learning, debate global trends, and identify common needs and ways to improve institutional collaboration. The aim is to strengthen the voices of women in ASM, ensure global policy processes are better informed by local realities and dialogue, and inspire new global networks to inform and drive change in the sector.

This session will form part of the overall outcome of the conference that will be turned into the ‘Mosi-Oa-Tunya Declaration’.

Thematic dialogues

ASM in Tanzania

The Tanzanian ASM-LLG joined with IIED to host phase two thematic dialogues on the issues of ASM formalisation, and environment, health and safety. The dialogues aimed at informing the development and implementation of the roadmap for reform by taking stock of the two topics within the overall roadmap elements.

Research report, 101 pages

Artisanal and small-scale mining in Tanzania – Evidence to inform an ‘action dialogue’

In collaboration with Tanzanian partners MTL Consulting and HakiMadini, we convened a multi-stakeholder dialogue process to help national stakeholders identify solutions to promote formalised, rights-based, productive ASM within a more inclusive and responsible mining sector. This report presents the findings of research carried out to inform this dialogue.

Workshop report, 18 pages

Action dialogue on artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in Tanzania

This report summarises the proceedings of the national ‘action dialogue’ in Geita, Tanzania in November 2017. The purpose of the dialogue was to provide a platform for ASM stakeholders to identify issues and discuss possible solutions for an inclusive and responsible ASM sector.

Research report, 79 pages

The new face of informality in the Tanzanian mineral economy: Transforming artisanal mining through foreign investment?

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) has long been a mainstay of Tanzania’s rural economy, contributing to the livelihoods of more than three million Tanzanians.

This report aims to offer new insights into the opportunities and risks associated with leveraging foreign private capital in support of ASM development.