MADI ASM Training Workshop In ZAMBIA

• Background 

Africa’s poverty is well pronounced in rural areas where most communities are usually engaged in artisanal and small-scale mining. The Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) sector can be an engine for growth in Zambia if properly harnessed and integrated as a development strategy. 

The Africa Mining Vision (AMV) that was adopted by AU Assembly in 2009, recognizes the developmental role of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). However, despite its importance and potential to unlock the vicious circle of poverty, ASM remains a sector characterized by several challenges that constrain the realization of the developmental potentials. These include among others inadequate policy and regulatory frameworks; limited technical capacity of miners; inadequately explored mineral bearing areas; health and safety, environmental degradation, gender insensitivities and child labor issues; lack of access to finance and appropriate technologies. These challenges generally lock ASM actors into a cycle of poverty-driven subsistence operations that contribute to the marginalization of the ASM sector from the broader national economy.

Although more than 8 million people are said to be directly engaged in the ASM sub-sector and well over 30 million depend on it with up to 50% of these women and youth, this sub-sector continues to be neglected both locally and in the international development agenda and does not feature in most national and local poverty alleviation strategies. Much of this is due to the negative perceptions of ASM, which tends to outweigh its positive impacts. However, an increasing number of people turn to it to seek alternative livelihoods, particularly in marginal areas with limited economic alternatives. The poverty cycle is aggravated by legal and regulatory failures including failure of governments to recognize and/or formalize the sub-sector. Most ASM miners do not have security of tenure or access to high –quality and mineable resources. To this, one can add poor access to financial resources caused by the reluctance of banks and other financial agencies to provide loans and other financial assistance to an unregulated ASM sub-sector.

• Objective 

The training is aimed to strengthen the capacity of artisanal small-scale miners to effectively in engage in formalized and responsible mining for sustainable environmental management and climate change and secondly engage in value addition and, trade at the national and local levels so that they can be integrated in regional minerals value chains under the African Continental Free Trade Area AfCFTA. 

Specific Objectives  

The specific objectives of the one-day workshop are to: 

1. Exchange lessons, experience and best practices on responsible mining and climate change, health and safety, environment as well as gender and other social issues in the mining sector.
2. Share evidence-based knowledge and analysis on scalable business ideas in the mining sector. 
3. Identify opportunities that improve their livelihoods.
4. To nurture basic business development & management skills. 
5. To strengthen a network of businesses (especially women and youth) who can support each other.

• Expected Outcomes:

It is envisaged that the training will facilitate deepened understanding of the role of Artisans in economic growth, gender equality and promotion of youth employment. 

The specific outcomes of the training will include: 

1. Leadership skills and entrepreneurship capacity build amongst the miners, 
2. Increased awareness among trainees and other stakeholder on life skills including health and safety
3. Sensitization on environment protection to avert climate change effects, 
4. Enhanced understanding among participants on their role in mitigating gender-based violence and child labor. 
5. Enhanced success/survival rate of businesses started by Artisans by formalizing them into professional cooperatives of Small and Medium Enterprises 
6. Creation of alternative sources of income and employment opportunities created through successful business enterprises diversification

• Methodology 

The training will take the format of expert perspectives that will be delivered through panel presentations and onsite training which will be followed by participatory discussions from the participants. The discussions shall draw on evidence-based knowledge and lived experiences of participants that will be complemented by insightful policy-focused technical expert submissions and deliberations. Sufficient time and opportunity will be given to participants to meaningfully interact amongst themselves and enhance peer to peer learning.

The training will be facilitated by three-tier delivery model applied as follows; 

Tier 1: Content delivery– old and new information on the subject matter. 

Tier 2:  Case presentation– Real Life Case studies from the participants & Experts.

Tier 3: Subject Application-Quantifiable/ Practical application of the skills gained through realistic plan of actions, group and individual focused assignments.

Workshop Areas:

• Climate Change

The workshop will raise awareness on the potential negative impacts of climate change on the mining sector which has grown in the past years. The impacts of extreme weather events such as recurring droughts, floods and cyclones experienced in some of the world’s leading mining regions have led some sections of the industry to start thinking about their own vulnerabilities and the risks climate change could pose. This workshop will   shed some light on an overview of the complex challenges around extractive resources in the context of climate change such as, the mining sector being one of the major emitters of greenhouse gases and it produces fossil energy resources that also significantly contribute to global CO2 emissions, 2) mining is a sector that is particularly vulnerable to climate change.

• Value Addition and Trade (ACfTA) 

Value addition or benefaction in the minerals sector is key for African countries to benefit economically from the sector, the workshop will ensure that the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) can be assisted in this regard bearing in mind that the sub-sector continues to face challenges related to deficiencies in skills, finance, marketing and technology, among others. The key lesson, therefore, is that progress is not possible unless we move from rhetoric regarding ASM best practice and convert it into practical on-the-ground efforts to step up assistance programmed so that we bring ASM into the realm of productive, functioning businesses. Zambia, like most African governments, desire to create manufacturing value added from their mineral products however policy, needs to be backed by legislation, specific incentives and above all develop the requisite institutional capacity. Value addition in the sector would also enable engagement of ASM in the AfCFTA.

•  Formalization, Good Governance and Entrepreneurship  

The main objective is to provide young Artisans and stakeholders with practical business tools, including mentorship that will lead to increased revenue, employment creation, and ultimately improved livelihoods and/or economic empowerment. The training will focus on four key modules namely; business compliance, business modelling, business processes and value addition and Business presentation skills. 

• Health and Safety and Environment

The objective of this training is to highlight the hazards and risks that small-scale miners and artisanal face in their working environment. The implementation of this training will respond to the sustainable development goal 8 which seeks to improve health and safety at ASM sites which is instrumental in achieving decent work for all through safe and secure working environments. The training will focus on the following areas that significantly impact Health, Safety & Environment; physical & Biomechanical, chemical, psychosocial, and biological.

• Gender Sensitization 

The workshop will equip Artisans with in depth knowledge on Gender Value clarification, Gender Roles, power margins in Gender. The training will further assist the Artisans to understand and develop skills needed for averting Gender Based Violence and the imbalance of power. 

• Life Skills Training 

The main objective is to build artisans confidence in communication, group collaborative skills that lead to healthy relationships and cope with day-to-day life challenges. The training will engage artisans in exploring cognitive abilities, improving personal and interpersonal abilities. Which will in turn increase internal focus of control, evaluation of future consequences of present actions and enhance people skills. 

• Working Languages

The workshop will be conducted in Language – English.

• Participation

Participants will be drawn from ASM and other sector stakeholders such as academician CSO, developmental organizations and private sector in Zambia. 

Date and Venue 

The training will be held at Blue Crest Lodge, Kabulonga in Lusaka.

• Output 

• Workshop report with recommendations 

• Contacts

For more information please contact: 

Angela Mulenga

Email: angela.mulenga@gmail.com ,

Muyekwa Zulu.