Ensinamentos retirados das experiências regionais na África Ocidental no setor do ouro

This policy brief examines the challenges of formalizing artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in West Africa and the Sahel. It argues that repressive measures often increase vulnerability to criminal capture and instead advocates for a holistic, support-based approach to formalization that addresses land rights, gender marginalization, and regional coordination to mitigate the influence of organized crime and violent extremist groups.

• Artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) is a critical source of livelihood in West Africa but remains largely informal, making it susceptible to exploitation by conflict actors and criminals. Previous repressive efforts to combat informal mining have often backfired, increasing the fragility of operations and the likelihood of criminal capture of supply chains.
• The ASGM sector is evolving through increased mechanization and the use of chemicals like mercury and cyanide, as well as explosives. Burkina Faso serves as a major regional hub for these supply chains, and there are concerns that mining explosives may be diverted to violent extremist groups across the region.
• There is a complex tension between ASGM as a stabilizing force for livelihoods—particularly for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and unemployed youth—and its exploitation by non-state armed groups in the Sahel and Nigeria, who use gold as a source of funding through taxation or direct control of sites.
• Lack of land security and mineral rights is a root cause of many ASGM challenges. Formalization requires facilitating access to land and gold deposits, which often involves managing tensions between ASGM and industrial mining operations. Mauritania has seen initial success by creating designated 'mining corridors'.
• Women comprise between 20% and 50% of the ASGM workforce in Africa but face systemic marginalization, including the denial of land rights and social devaluation. The document recommends gender-sensitive legislation, the reservation of specific mining areas for women, and the use of affirmative policies to ensure they benefit from formalization.
• Decentralized service centers, such as processing hubs and state gold buying offices (comptoirs), can incentivize miners to enter the formal sector. Mauritania's success with processing centers was partly due to the government providing limited water access at these sites, allowing for better regulation and environmental control.
• Effective ASGM regulation requires multi-agency coordination across mining, environmental, financial, and law enforcement sectors. The document emphasizes the need for vertical coordination between local, provincial, national, and regional authorities to share information and best practices.

APA

Hunter, M., Ofosu-Peasah, G., Anti, T. W., Akonor, E. T., Ghastalany, R. E., & Moberg, G. (2023). Ensinamentos retirados das experiências regionais na África Ocidental no setor do ouro. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-pb-12-por.pdf

Chicago

Hunter, Marcena, Gideon Ofosu-Peasah, Theodora Williams Anti, Edgar Takyi Akonor, Rayane EL Ghastalany, and Gabriel Moberg. Ensinamentos retirados das experiências regionais na África Ocidental no setor do ouro. Institute for Security Studies, 2023. https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-pb-12-por.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Hunter |first1=Marcena |last2=Ofosu-Peasah |first2=Gideon |last3=Anti |first3=Theodora Williams |last4=Akonor |first4=Edgar Takyi |last5=Ghastalany |first5=Rayane EL |last6=Moberg |first6=Gabriel |title=Ensinamentos retirados das experiências regionais na África Ocidental no setor do ouro |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |date=November 2023 |url=https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-pb-12-por.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{hunter2023ensinamentos, author = {Hunter, Marcena and Ofosu-Peasah, Gideon and Anti, Theodora Williams and Akonor, Edgar Takyi and Ghastalany, Rayane EL and Moberg, Gabriel}, title = {{Ensinamentos retirados das experiências regionais na África Ocidental no setor do ouro}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://issafrica.s3.amazonaws.com/site/uploads/ocwar-t-pb-12-por.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }