Helping local communities in sustainable business development at Nordgold mines in West Africa Oleg Bazaleev, Head of Sustainable Development Projects 13 March 2019 1
Climate Change and Sahel • In Sahel, temperatures are rising 1.5 times faster than the global average • Droughts and floods are longer and more frequent • Roughly 80% of the Sahel's farmland is degraded • Land available to pastoralists is shrinking • Population growth Climate Change + Food Insecurity + Extremists = VIOLENCE IN SAHEL 2 * Sources: UN and World Economic Forum
Climate Change Fuels Poverty • Climate change forces people to shift from agriculture to artisanal gold mining • Thousands of men, women and children put their health and their lives at risk through a dangerous and illegal mining Artisanal miners in Burkina 3 Faso
Climate Change Affects Agriculture and People According to Jacob Ouedraogo, Burkina Faso Minister for Agriculture and Irrigation (May 8 th , 2018): • Poor rainfall resulted in low 2017-2018 crops • Cereal deficit of 477 000 tonnes • 2,462,000 Burkinabe people lack food because of low crops Local communities around Nordgold’s Bissa-Bouly and Taparko mines report similar problems 4
Dozens of water wells have been constructed by the Nordgold mines in local communities 5
Food banks (Bissa-Bouly mine) Food prices soar during rainy Bissa-Bouly mine bought food cheaply seasons, up to 40% or more. (in advance, with wholesale discounts) and established the food banks for three villages. Poor people do not have Communities Food supplies available food storages and buy themselves now to people at the hardest food at high price. control prices and times of the year at distribution. normal prices.
Agricultural project at Yeou village In the corn field Partners: Taparko mine, AFEMIB (mining sector women association) and French Embassy in Burkina Faso. Aim: To divert women working in artisanal mining to farming. Resources and skills to women to start commercial farming. School for adults built as part of the project Water tower Water fountain In the field 7
Other programs to foster small agribusiness • Tiben dam built for the Bissa-Bouly mine is a reliable all-year source of water • 100% banks of Tiben water reservoir are used by local people for farming vegetables • The Bissa-Bouly mine trained 100 young people and provided equipment to them to start agricultural activities
Programs to foster small agribusiness • Since 2013, Bissa-Bouly mine bought the vegetables worth of US$ 150’000 (86 mln FCFA) from local communities • 70% of the vegetables consumed by the mine are from local producers Agricultural products of AFEMIB project
Bissa-Bouly soap making project • Imiougou Women’s Center Three groups of soap producers: (built by the mine) where soap is produced Imiougou village (48 women) Sabce village (25 women) Bissa village (16 women) • The business started after the trainings provided by Nordgold • The mine buys c. 400 litres of liquid soap per month The women soap producers 10 from Bissa village
Soap making project
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