News
Pact receives new funding to expand artisanal and small-scale gold mining work in Africa
The U.S. Department of State has awarded Pact new funding to expand our work in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) in Africa.
In Mali, the new funding will extend the Promoting Mercury-Free Mali project for an additional year. Mali is becoming a major hub for smuggling West African gold and the supply chain has been linked to the region’s ongoing security challenges. Despite this, ASGM is an age-old tradition that provides Malians with a viable livelihood. The project, which began in 2021, supports formalization and reduced mercury use, while strengthening transparent supply chains, in Mali’s ASGM sector.
Pact currently supports 1,700 miners in southwestern Mali at Cooperative de Dje Kabara and Cooperative de Sewa in formalization, technical and business strengthening. At the national level, Pact assists the Ministry of Mines, private sector companies and civil society partners in governing the sector, with a key focus on curbing gold smuggling, preventing conflict financing and ASGM formalization.
The extension will build on results achieved so far, including publication of a responsible gold trading report that provides an analysis of the main obstacles to and key recommendations for formal gold trade in Mali, and the establishment of a Monitoring Committee, in collaboration with the Prime Minister’s Office, to oversee the implementation of priority policy actions.
In Tanzania, Pact will launch a new project to improve operations and reduce mercury use in ASGM processing. In partnership with the Tanzania Women Miners Association, MTL Consulting, Mwamba and the International Cyanide Management Institute, the project will support implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury through the reduction of dual use mercury and cyanide for processing gold ore and mining tailings.
“Cyanide-based processing technologies provide a needed alternative to highly toxic and inefficient mercury amalgamation methods but require careful management to maximize gold recovery while mitigating their own environmental and health risks,” said Thomas Cornew, Mwamba CEO. “We are excited to partner with Pact to educate artisanal gold miners in Tanzania on how to properly transition away from mercury processing."
The new project will also strengthen government capacity to improve operational controls and management systems of ASGM processing centers using mercury and cyanide across Tanzania.
“We are excited to expand our responsible mining work through these two new awards, which will boost productivity, transparency, safety and environmental stewardship in a sector producing 20-30% of the world's gold but responsible for nearly 40% of mercury emissions,” said James McQuilken, Pact’s director of responsible mining. “By partnering with governments, industry and community-led groups, we’ll strengthen their capacity to implement mercury-free technologies and safe practices and formalize operations, while also advancing gender equality by addressing the disproportionate impact of mercury on women miners and highlight their often-hidden roles in ASGM.”
These projects are funded as part of the Department of State’s Global Mercury Program, which promotes pilot projects that serve as models for on-the-ground activities to reduce mercury pollution.