INTRODUCTION
Institutional strengthening, knowledge and capacity building
This component will strengthen the knowledge and capacity to address the health risks due to the release of chemicals from ASGM, e-waste and other solid waste dumpsites. At the country level, some activities aim at reducing the use of and exposure to mercury, e.g.: raising awareness on the health risks associated with inappropriate mining and processing; training artisanal miners in using best practices, including mercury-free methods; promoting transparency across the gold value chain (e.g. procurement of cheap and reliable sources of mercury, access to credit, technical know-how); facilitating the formalization of the ASGM sector; and conducting national mercury inventories, consistent with the requirements of the Minamata Convention.
No Pollution
Afforstation
Clean water
Good health
Animal Habitat
Help is our main goal !!
An estimated two to three million people in Africa are at risk of exposure to toxic chemicals from ASGM4. Rising international gold prices have made ASGM an attractive employment alternative for struggling farmers, poor rural communities, and migrant laborers. Ghana and Tanzania each have ASGM workforces estimated at more than 1 million people. However, ASGM has been consistently listed as a major source of water and soil pollution. Serious health concerns associated with heavy metal poisoning from metals such as cadmium and mercury are disproportionally affecting poor and vulnerable people. It is estimated that gold production from small-scale mining accounts for about 38 percent of total mercury emissions on the continent. A mercury trade diagnostic study conducted by the Environment, Natural Resources and Blue Economy Global Practice estimated that 90 to 95 percent of mercury used is smuggled from neighboring nations. However, there is limited data and knowledge about the amount of mercury used or the extent of mercury contamination and its health, environmental, and social impacts.