Page 68 - Vol 28 Issue 29 2019

mining politics

the vast number of miners and the sticks increases and local conflict at artisanal that protect local mining communities
often backfire. sites, and its relative absence at industrial and mitigate unintended economic and
sites, may add to the arguments of those social effects, including the effect on the
Moreover, where industrial production who seek to replace artisanal by industrial behaviour of armed actors. (Supplied by
activities expand into areas used by mining, there are other important the conversation)
artisanal miners, we found an increase in considerations.
attacks against civilians and looting. We
are currently doing research on this. We First, a major difference between
artisanal and industrial sites is that
believe it’s because armed actors and/ mining companies, being backed by the Marijke Verpoorten,
or miners who previously profited from government and national army, are able Associate Professor,
artisanal mining try to find other sources to secure their concessions. But this is a University of Antwerp
of income, such as theft or by levying political choice: there is nothing inherent
taxes at roadblocks. about artisanal sites that prevents the Nik Stoop,
Policy implications same type of security. The Ministry of Post-doctoral researcher,
Mines should revise the mining code to KU Leuven
Governments and policy-prescribers - like formalise and accommodate artisanal
the International Monetary Fund and mining. It should also employ the army to
World Bank, which inform the design of secure artisanal sites. But first the army
mining policies - tend to favour industrial must be “sanitised”; it’s currently corrupt Peter van der Windt,
mining over artisanal mining because of and is itself involved in illegal taxing and Assistant Professor of
its superior revenue-generating potential trafficking of minerals mined by artisans. Political Science,
for the government. Second, any policy to expand industrial New York University
While the relation between mineral price mining should incorporate measures

68 | AFRICAN POWER Mining & Oil Review Vol 28, Issue 29, 2019 Celebrating 10 years of excellence