World Bank Group Should Include ASM In The MGA Report—ASMAN

A representative of the ASM Africa-Network (ASMAN) at this year's Mining Indaba Conference held in Cape Town, South Africa, Mr. Edward Kwasi Akuoko, has called on Adams Smith International who are part of the World Bank constituted group currently facilitating the processes in the Minerals Governance Assessment (MGA) report to make conscious effort to include a comprehensive assessment of the Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM) sector inthe MGA.

Mr. Akuoko who is director of Policy and Research of ASM Africa Network (ASMAN) made the appeal after a presentation by the group at one of the sessions at just ended international mining conference in Cape Town South Africa

Akuoko was of the view that although the sector isn't developed as the large and commercial scale mining departments and it's still bedeviled with challenges, there must be a starting point to begin an assessment of the industry globally and therefore perceived the MGA as the right tool. He was of the view that some thematic areas such as ASM regulatory regime, licensing procedures, best practicesetc. should be identified and assessed to bring about standards that will improve the sector to benefit extractive Countries in Africa.

Mr. Akuoko noted that, the MGA will be “incomplete” if it does not include an assessment of Africa's ASM as a whole, explaining that in Ghana alone conservative figures estimates that the ASM industry is a 30% net contributor to the country's annual gold production, a percentage that cannot be ignored by any well-meaning assessment report.

Mr. Akuoko used the opportunity to commend the Africa Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) in Ghana, who are the local facilitators of the MGA for their pro-activeness in engaging the ASM players from the start of the project till now and called on the other local partners in the implementing countries to emulate the ACET initiative and approach.

In response Martin Lokanc, a mining specialist in charge of the Sustainable Energy Department oil, Gas and Mining (SEGOM) department of the World Bank acknowledged the omission and assured that efforts will be made to incorporate ASMAN's concerns.

On her part Anne-Claire Howard of Adams Smith International, one of the facilitators of the MGA said her organisation will collaborate with stakeholders in the ASM industry to bridge the gap.

The ASM Africa Network Director of Policy & Research has earlier on participated as a representative of Ghana in a week long training programme dubbed “Emerging Leaders' in African Mining” (ELAM 2015) in Biermersfontein Village, Wellington Cape Town South Africa.