The Barksanem™ (BSM™) System is marketed under license specifically to mining industry professionals. It has three main components: our proprietary diagnostic system called the « Territorial Approach », the implementation of small-scale mining engineering (ASM) and the digitalization of the entire supply chain which is associated with a virtual currency (for more info, see our article on
To meet the strong demands in the ASM sector (technical constraints, integration and the formalization of artisanal miners, Fairmined certification, social and environmental challenges etc..) we created the Barksanem™ License. The License contains a portfolio of solutions to implement Small-Scale mining operations, fast-track ASM integration into a given territory and to enhance business growth around a
There are many different challenges faced by the artisanal miner, one of which is technical challenges. We have seen mining shafts as deep as 80 meters (260 feet) with small air hoses that miners’ breath into, securing themselves with hemp ropes. The lack of precautionary safety measures puts the miners’ lives at risk on
Have you ever visited an artisanal mining village, deep in the African bush? We speak of a village, but is it really one? In reality, there are hundreds, even thousands of huts that intertwine to make up and organize the artisanal gold mining collectivity. The houses are made of straw or canvas and tin roofs.
In many commonly referred to « emerging » nations, the informal sector is often predominant in shaping the economic fabric, compared to the « formal » sector. It is generally thought that when a person doesn’t register his business, this is done in order to avoid paying taxes. Very often, people’s lack of confidence in their government, their financial
One of the building blocks of Barksanem™’s mining vision is « people » and more broadly their « community« . The management team of Barksanem™ adhere to the belief that without man there is no business, no market, no supply chain, no value chain, no blockchain etc. Technology, organizations, capital and even the end product make sense only if
When visiting the many artisanal mining sites in Burkina Faso, where thousands of gold miners gather, women are everywhere. Not only in the food preparation area, or in the small restaurants along the dusty roads, or in the shops that make up the mining village, but much closer to the mines themselves, and sometimes even
Within the artisanal mining sector there are a few different types of miners that are typically seen in different places. In certain countries one type of artisanal mining can be called seasonal mining and this is often where rural farmers mine certain parts of the year. They might mine in the dry season and farm in
The World Economic Forum often discusses how the mining industry can support the Sustainable Development Goals. The UN Guiding Principles, however, indicate that a company cannot offset human rights harm by doing good elsewhere. Companies cannot “pick and choose” which human rights to respect. Human rights don’t work like a carbon offset program, where you
The modern-day slavery act recently introduced calls business and governments to action in order to prevent forced labor through the global supply chain, including in sectors like mining. Extractive companies are being asked to know and show that they understand how their activities affect human rights, not just at the point of extraction, but also
