Analyse comparative des textes juridiques applicables à l’exploitation minière artisanale de l’or dans l’espace UEMOA

This report provides a comparative analysis of the legal and regulatory frameworks governing artisanal gold mining within the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA). It identifies systemic gaps in strategic planning, institutional management, and normative application, while proposing an integrated approach through the creation of 'reserved gold mining zones' to promote sustainable and formalised practices.

• Most UEMOA member states lack an integrated sectoral policy for the gold mining value chain, leading to administrative and legislative reforms that are typically reactive and curative rather than based on a pre-existing strategic vision.
• Institutional models for managing artisanal mining vary across the region, ranging from centralised ministry control (Benin, Togo) to specialised national agencies (Burkina Faso's ANEEMAS) and decentralised management via local authorities (Mali).
• Current legal definitions of artisanal mining in most UEMOA countries are outdated and fail to account for increasing mechanisation, which creates a gap between law and field reality and hinders the adoption of innovative, cleaner technologies.
• The Artisanal Mining Authorization (AEA) is often perceived as precarious and non-incentivising for formalisation due to short validity periods (one to five years), complex administrative procedures, and the possibility of superposition with industrial exploration permits in countries like Burkina Faso and Mali.
• Environmental protections for artisanal mining are significantly relaxed compared to industrial mining; most member states do not require full Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) for AEAs, often incorrectly assuming the impact is minimal.
• Taxation of the artisanal sector is inefficient and complex, characterised by a multiplicity of overlapping national and local levies and a lack of involvement of local communities in defining or collecting these taxes.
• Gold commercialisation is poorly controlled by states, with significant portions of production bypassing official channels through 'independent' buyers and 'financiers', which increases the risk of fraud and the financing of terrorism in the Sahel.
• The 'Or Propre' (Clean Gold) pilot project in Burkina Faso demonstrated that using centrifugal concentrators can increase gold recovery by twofold and eliminate the use of mercury, though it requires legal adjustments to allow mechanisation.
• The report recommends the creation of 'reserved gold mining zones'—temporary, exclusive areas for artisanal mining—to integrate geological exploration, environmental monitoring, and the deployment of clean technologies.

APA

Nikièma, H. S., Naré, C., Somda, A., Samoura, K., Kaboré, É. B., & Kaboré, B. (2020). Analyse comparative des textes juridiques applicables à l’exploitation minière artisanale de l’or dans l’espace UEMOA. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/miniere-artisanale-uemoa.pdf

Chicago

Nikièma, H. Suzy, Clémence Naré, Adrien Somda, Karim Samoura, Émile B. Kaboré, and Basile Kaboré. Analyse comparative des textes juridiques applicables à l’exploitation minière artisanale de l’or dans l’espace UEMOA. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/miniere-artisanale-uemoa.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nikièma |first1=H. Suzy |last2=Naré |first2=Clémence |last3=Somda |first3=Adrien |last4=Samoura |first4=Karim |last5=Kaboré |first5=Émile B. |last6=Kaboré |first6=Basile |title=Analyse comparative des textes juridiques applicables à l’exploitation minière artisanale de l’or dans l’espace UEMOA |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=March 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/miniere-artisanale-uemoa.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nikima2020analyse, author = {Nikièma, H. Suzy and Naré, Clémence and Somda, Adrien and Samoura, Karim and Kaboré, Émile B. and Kaboré, Basile}, title = {{Analyse comparative des textes juridiques applicables à l’exploitation minière artisanale de l’or dans l’espace UEMOA}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = mar, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/miniere-artisanale-uemoa.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }