All those goldminers we saw in Daraina and in neighboring
areas have for years been deliberately overlooked by the government, their
occupation “neglected as a formal activity.” Despite the fact that an estimated
million people participate in this hidden sector, the government has, until
recently, averted its eyes to both potential taxes from the activity, and its
associated problems of child labor, dangerous working conditions, and illegal
trafficking. Moreover, as we witnessed, this mining often takes place in
protected areas, an incursion the international community frowns upon. However,
artisanal gold is now beginning to emerge from the dust in more ways than one.
In 2016, for the first time, the government officially announced the export of
gold from the country, albeit from a commercial mining facility, an important realignment
to reality that other countries have already reported as the import of gold
from Madagascar. Moreover, in 2006, the government introduced a mining code
requiring artisanal miners to buy an annual permit for what is merely the value
of one day’s earnings in the sector, about $2. The proceeds are to go to the
mayor for investment in roads, clinics and medical care. However, illegality
remains pervasive, as miners forgo permits and continue to seek out prime
prospecting regardless of protected areas’ borders. Despite gold’s footprint in
parks and dangerous mining conditions, it also has a bright side, being a
reliable source of income with the potential to spur the socio-economic
development desired in many areas. A major conference in December was to rally
donor support for work toward certification of Madagascar’s gold production as
fair trade. The outcome is uncertain, but it is preceded by the World Bank’s
support, part of a significant $1.8 million contribution to improve revenue
collection and management across multiple sectors, including artisanal mining.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/jul/25/surge-in-gold-prices-no-change-in-fortune-madagascar-miners-africa
(Emma)
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