Gold mining firms should cooperate more with artisanal miners, WGC says

Calibre Mining

24/03/2022 12:00

LONDON, March 24 (Reuters) - The World Gold Council (WGC)
called for greater cooperation between large mining companies
and artisanal miners and set out recommendations on Thursday to
help bring small-scale miners into the market.
    Mainstream miners and refiners have typically avoided
dealing with artisanal miners who use basic equipment, often
work outside legal frameworks and can employ children and toxic
materials such as mercury.
    But artisanal mining provides a livelihood to millions of
people in Africa, South America and elsewhere, and pressure has
grown from governments and non-governmental organisations for
more to be done to bring them into the market. 
    The miner-funded WGC published a report with 36 case studies
on the experiences of companies including Calibre Mining
 CXB.TO , Newmont  NEM.N  and B2Gold  BTO.TO  with artisanal
miners working close to their operations. 
    These include collaboration with government to enable
artisanal miners to work legally, providing training and
equipment to make mining safer and less environmentally damaging
and purchasing artisanally mined gold. 
    The WGC said mining firms should stop seeing artisanal and
small scale miners (ASGM) primarily as a risk to the security of
their mines. 
    "Instead," it said, "where local circumstances make this
practicable, responsibly conducted ASGM may have the potential
to become a source of opportunity to improve local development
outcomes."
    
    
    
    

 (Reporting by Peter Hobson;Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
 ((Peter.Hobson@thomsonreuters.com; +44 207 542 0083;))