ATELIER NATIONAL SUR L’EXPLOITATION MINIÈRE ARTISANALE ET À PETITE ÉCHELLE, LES FLUX FINANCIERS ILLICITES ET LES CONFLITS AU NIGER

The report details a three-day workshop in Niger focused on the governance of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). It identifies critical challenges including environmental degradation, the use of prohibited chemicals, and the role of ASM in illicit financial flows and regional insecurity. The document outlines a proposed vision for the sector based on 16 'good practices' and provides a comprehensive list of recommendations to formalize the sector, reduce the tax burden on miners, and improve state surveillance to combat criminality.

• Artisanal gold mining in Niger emerged following droughts in 1984-1985 and has become a permanent economic activity, though it remains largely informal, resulting in insignificant tax revenues and a lack of reliable statistics on gold production and trade.
• The ASM sector is linked to severe environmental and social issues, including the illegal use of mercury, failure to respect depth limits of 100 meters, silica dust emissions from manual crushing, prostitution, drug use, and the worst forms of child labor.
• Illicit financial flows from Africa may reach 50 billion USD, and between 2016 and 2019, terrorists reportedly exploited gold valued at 2 billion USD across Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
• In the Agadez region, 88% of miners are Nigerien, and 85% work for employers (bosses) rather than for themselves, often within a widespread system of debt where gold traders finance extraction operations.
• Workshop participants identified high administrative and tax burdens as barriers, specifically recommending a reduction in the 6% export tax and the 3,000,000 FCFA fixed fee for commercialization licenses.
• The workshop proposed 16 'good practices' to promote a responsible ASM sector, including the creation of mining police, the formalization of sites into 'gold-panning corridors', the establishment of local conflict management committees, and the use of Economic Interest Groupings (GIE) for actors.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2022). ATELIER NATIONAL SUR L’EXPLOITATION MINIÈRE ARTISANALE ET À PETITE ÉCHELLE, LES FLUX FINANCIERS ILLICITES ET LES CONFLITS AU NIGER. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/national-workshop-asm-niger-meeting-report-fr.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. ATELIER NATIONAL SUR L’EXPLOITATION MINIÈRE ARTISANALE ET À PETITE ÉCHELLE, LES FLUX FINANCIERS ILLICITES ET LES CONFLITS AU NIGER. 2022. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/national-workshop-asm-niger-meeting-report-fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=ATELIER NATIONAL SUR L’EXPLOITATION MINIÈRE ARTISANALE ET À PETITE ÉCHELLE, LES FLUX FINANCIERS ILLICITES ET LES CONFLITS AU NIGER |date=2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/national-workshop-asm-niger-meeting-report-fr.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2022atelier, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{ATELIER NATIONAL SUR L’EXPLOITATION MINIÈRE ARTISANALE ET À PETITE ÉCHELLE, LES FLUX FINANCIERS ILLICITES ET LES CONFLITS AU NIGER}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-06/national-workshop-asm-niger-meeting-report-fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }