Journal review lauds ECA`s Compendium on Small-scale Mining
By Yinka Adeyemi, Communication Officer, ECA
17 November 2004

African countries identified as best examples in ECA’s publication, Compendium on Best Practices in Small-Scale Mining in Africa, may help to improve specific processes in mining in Africa, but the mining sector in those countries is still faced with serious problems, according to a review in the Journal on Energy and Natural Resources Law.

“Even where some practices could have had a long-term impact, because of institutional capacity and ineffectiveness, as well as limited funding, they could not be sustained,” the Journal says.

The Compendium lists the nature of mining policy, mining legislation, technology, environmental management, health and safety, institutional capacity, access to credit and technical assistance programmes, as criteria for determining best practice.

But it adds: “What constitutes a best practice in a given environment or location may not necessarily be replicable in another, depending on local conditions, institutional culture and capacity.”

For full review, click here. To download the Compendium, click here.