Spring Check Up – Looking Bright!

By Anonymous -
✅ 10 Countries;
✅ 5 Languages;
✅ Millions of rural poor positively impacted with better health, safety and economic conditions.

This February is shaping up to be one of the most influential months in AGC’s history. And we are rolling into the Spring with more momentum than ever.
 
The AGC is working on multiple stages and types of projects to improve ASGM worldwide. 
In more detail, here is some of our progress this Spring:

Burkina Faso
We have set up a demonstration plant whereby miners will no longer need to use mercury to extract their gold from the ore and at the same time their gold recovery will improve by about 30%. From February 21-23 we take part in a USDoS Regional Workshop on Mercury Reduction which will involve participants from Ghana, Burkina Faso & Guinea. On February 24th we will participate in the GEF GOLD Burkina Faso kick-off event, followed by technical meeting with UNIDO.

A local working on our demonstration "mercury free processing system and training centre" set up in Burkina Faso this month.

Indonesia
Environmental and technical experts from the AGC have completed their baseline data collection in rural Indonesia and they are back in Jakarta now for analysis. 
Tyler, our environmental expert, demonstrates to Indonesians how some of the baseline equipment works.
Lao
Preparatory work is being completed to work with the government in Loa in preparing their National Action Plan.

Senegal
The National Action Plan (NAP) workshop inception meeting occurs this month, during which we will be recruiting national experts, and in meetings with national government.

Kevin, describing the dangers of mercury and importance of national action plans.

Mali
The National Action Plan (NAP) workshop inception meeting occurs this month, during which we will be recruiting national experts, and meeting with national government officials.

Ghana
We will be doing the inventory training as part of the NAP in Ghana - working with a local Ghanian NGO called Friends of the Nation and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Gabon
The National Action Plan (NAP) workshop inception meeting occurs this Spring, during which we will be meeting with national government and recruiting national experts.

Peru
Our first installation for the MEJORO project will be completed soon. Check our ULULA blog for other helpful projects in Peru.
Locals and AGC staff work together installing new technology for miners in Peru.

Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Peru, and Indonesia
The AGC has started developing a business training curriculum that will be delivered to miners in these four
countries



Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for timely, inspiring and educational updates.

Comments

Post a Comment

The Artisanal Gold Council is a registered non-profit organization that improves the environmental and economic sustainability of artisanal and small scale gold mining communities.

Popular posts from this blog

ASGM and Public Health

By Anonymous -
Image
The AGC helps miners improve their productivity and helps them to comply with minimal health, safety and environmental standards; this can facilitate the formalisation of their livelihoods, allowing them to increase their income in a safer way for both them and their communities. One of the ways in which the AGC does this is through educating health workers and miners on the risks of certain aspects of ASGM and providing ways to mitigate these risks, while at the same time as training miners on how to process their gold in a safer way, largely by using less or no mercury.   For the vast majority of the millions of people who work in ASGM worldwide, labor conditions are substandard. There are multiple health risk factors that affect these populations; for example, acute accidents and injuries are common and chronic conditions resulting from exposure to toxins are prevalent, although rarely quantified. Moreover, ASGM communities typically have little to no access to education, heal
Read more

Is Borax the Miracle Chemical that Will Replace Mercury in Artisanal Gold Mining?

By -
Image
The Myth of a Miracle Cure Can borax replace mercury in artisanal gold mining? – or is it better concentration that can replace mercury? Does Borax really have anything to do with it? Is Borax a Miracle Chemical? Those promoting borax as a replacement for mercury in small scale gold mining are overselling it and risk giving the impression that there is a miracle cure. They may be well intentioned but they are misleading the world by claiming that borax is a direct replacement for mercury. This is simply not true. The bar of gold shown here was entirely produced using borax. It was also entirely produced using mercury. How can that be if the word going around is that borax is a replacement for mercury? It is not. Borax is used in every Artisanal and Small Scale Mining gold shop in the world and has been for a hundred years. It has been used in pottery glazes for centuries for the same reason. It is a flux. Background: if a miner has 10 kilograms of sand that contai
Read more

Mercury Use in the Guinean ASGM Sector

By Anonymous -
Image
The ASGM sector in Guinea is vibrant, growing, and ripe with opportunity. If properly managed, it could create a much needed West African example of best practices in ASGM. The Artisanal Gold Council (AGC) is engaged in a United Stated Department of State (USDoS) funded project focused on reducing mercury use in Francophone West Africa. The project currently is active in Senegal, Burkina Faso, and Guinea. Here we will discuss the interesting and unique approach to mercury use in Guinea, which differs from common practices seen in surrounding West African countries. Traditional gold concentration process using a calabash pan While traditional gold mining has occurred for centuries in Guinea, there has been significant growth in modern ASGM in recent years, including the introduction of mercury to amalgamate gold.  The Guinean ASGM sector is less developed (delayed) compared with the longer standing activities of surrounding countries (for example in Mali), and this is
Read more