The relational challenges between mining companies and artisanal gold miners are not new and are fairly universal from one country to the next. As we wrote in two previous articles (Formalization of Artisanal Gold Mining 1 and 2), the role that semi-industrial and small-scale mining companies can play is decisive for Artisanal Mining. These companies, especially,
When I (Etienne) started working in artisanal mining in West Africa, artisanal gold mining was seen, by international and government agencies, as a problem that had to be eradicated at all costs. As a result, the world of artisanal gold mining had to remain anonymous and informal, they didn’t fit current frameworks… Today things have
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
