Taking advantage of the Artisan Miner’s Day (Journée de l’Artisan minier – JAM 2023), the National Corporation of Artisans and Small Mine Operators of Burkina Faso (Corporation nationale des Artisans et exploitants de petites mines du Burkina Faso – CONAPEM) through a communication provides an overview of the organization and management of the mining artisans in Burkina Faso. CONAPEM did not miss the opportunity to make recommendations for good management of the mining sector.
In its presentation, CONAPEM provided an overview of the organisation of the artisanal mining sector in Burkina Faso. According to CONAPEM, the rate of mechanisation in the sector is increasing. It also notes the recurrence of certain practices, such as mining holes at great depths, with the massive and uncontrolled use of dynamite, cyanide and mercury. In addition to these aspects, the corporation has reported that the decentralisation of the mining administration has not been effective, and that there have been numerous suspensions in the granting of permits and authorisations, which have not been conducive to a real desire to formalise and legalise artisans. The frequent presence of children and miners on mining sites and the security crisis were also points highlighted by the corporation.
Given the current state of the artisanal and semi-artisanal mining sector, CONAPEM has made a number of recommendations to improve the way the sector is organised. It calls on the government to provide a clear definition of strategies and to contextualise the vision and objectives to be achieved through a forward-looking timetable. It calls on the government to propose a new participatory governance model for the organisation and management of the artisanal mining sector, to be supported by an efficient and credible decentralised mining administration. CONAPEM calls on the government to create formal artisanal mining cooperatives (communal, regional, private, etc.) and to work to secure mining sites.
In terms of mining policy, strategy and legislation, the corporation is calling on the government to update and adopt certain texts in line with the current reality of small-scale mining practices. In the light of the security situation, it is urging the government to set targets, particularly for the establishment of mining cooperatives, mechanisation of mining sites and production estimates.
The corporation also recommends that the legal deadlines for issuing permits be respected. To this end, CONAPEM is calling on the government to modernise the mining cadastre and make software available to process applications for permits and small-scale mining authorisations on a continuous basis.
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