From 6 - 7 February 2010, Civl Society Organisations from Tanzania, Zambia and Southern Africa, including Economic Justice Network and the Norwegian Church Aid, had the opportunity to compile a document to input into the the African Mining Partnership Meeting of African Ministers in Mining. On 7 February, 2010, the paper, on civil society's experience in mining and which proposed recommendations to redress the imbalances therein and also encouraged formulation of people centred policies was presented, by Dr Camillus Kassala on behalf of the CSO groups.
The Ministers have adopted and taken most of the CSO inputs into the Africa Mining Vision. Among other key things that will be guiding principles are Public Participation in formulation of policies, development of Social Impact Assessments as a legislative requirement to ensure community benefit in mining operations, Skills development to ensure that the citizens are capacitated to be able to extract, process and add value in local minerals, diversification of economies to ensure wider benefit of the countries so that people are not left with ghost towns when mines close as is the case with Kimberley.
Equally important was the call to legislate Corporate Social Responsibility for mining giants to take care of the environment, land use and people in the immediate localities, development of a Citizen Charter on mining and finally to ensure Artisan Smallscale Miners are capacitated, developed and supported financially and technologically so that they can be intergrated into the mainstream economy.
The final document will be the Africa Union blue print on mining and natural resources extraction driven by these Ministers where all the member states will be obliged to work and comply in the development of legislation, policies and programmes that seek to ensure the realisation of the AMV.
This is a great success for civil society and a good undertaking at a senior continental level to force the various governments to put their citizens' interest and development of the countries upfront. SA Minister on Mining, Susan Shabangu will be leading a Press conference to share with the nation the outcomes of these discussions.
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