Formalizing artisanal and small-scale mining in Mozambique: Concerns, priorities and challenges

Gavin Hilson, Salvador Mondlane, Abigail Hilson, Alex Arnall and Tim Laing

Resources Policy, 2021, vol. 71, issue C

Abstract: This paper reflects critically on efforts made to formalize artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) – low-tech, labour-intensive mineral extraction and processing – in Mozambique. Drawing on findings from interviews with policymakers, representatives from ASM associations and 200 individual miners, the paper captures the details of the country's ASM formalization experience. Findings reveal that despite showing considerable promise at first, the drive to formalize ASM in Mozambique, which spans three decades, has lost considerable momentum. A bureaucratic licensing scheme, overlapping responsibilities at the Estatuto Orgânico do Ministério dos Recursos Minerais e Energia (MIREME), and a shortage of information about miners have contributed to this slowdown. The themes underpinning the efforts to formalize ASM in Mozambique are not new but the case itself has its own unique nuances and storylines.

Keywords: Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM); Formalization; Sub-Saharan Africa; Mozambique (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:71:y:2021:i:c:s0301420721000180

DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102001

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