GEUS has just signed a contract to assist the Nigerian Ministry of Mines and Steel Development in a project on small-scale mining (ASM). The project is financed by the World Bank. More than 90% of Nigerias mining industry is operated on small-scale in the rural areas. The mining is manual or done with low-technology equipment, and is often the sole source of income. A team from GEUS will visit 8 to 10 ASM communities in Nigeria to investigate how the technical, environmental and socio-economic conditions are affected by the various types of mining. Based on this assessment, GEUS will develop a Handbook for ASM to be used by a broad range of government and regional authorities. Furthermore, the GEUS team will carry out an assessment of training needs in selected national and regional authorities. This will form the basis for training material to selected expert groups. To ensure sustainability, material will also be made so that the project can continue with Nigerian trainers.
Contact person: John Tychsen jt@geus.dk