After international competition coming out on top, a GAF led consortium has been awarded the contract to strengthen the capacities of the Mines Inspection Department (MID) of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development (MMSD) in Abuja, Nigeria.
The project will assist the MID to secure and control government revenues and legal obligations of the mine title owners and operators. One focus of the project is the inspection of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) activities.
Many African governments and the World Bank recognize ASM as a great potential to leverage the income of the people with low-income. However, ASM and mining in general can also be a strong threat for environment, communities, and water resources and even provoke crime actions. To avoid such negative impacts, a transparent and efficient mining authority – able to control and enforce mining law, environmental law, occupational health and security, ore production- and associated financial obligations, as well as the contracts between miners and communities is a fundamental pre-requisite to benefit from ASM.
In line with this, the project strengthens relevant capacities of the MID. The project includes the following components: The technical training of MID staff – in the office as well as in the mines, the provision of modern, mobile data acquisition devices, the use of satellite data to support inspections and finally the preparation of a management plan for the ASM sector for promoting sustainable mining activities and the necessary cooperation among all stakeholders.
The project has a duration of 18 months and started in June 2020. The project is funded by the World Bank as part of the MINDIVER programme.
