Zamboye mine collapse: Alake calls for stronger safeguards for artisanal miners

Chairman of the African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), Dele Alake, has called for stronger regulation of artisanal and small-scale mining following the reported deaths of more than 100 miners in a gold-mining site collapse in Zamboye, Central African Republic.

Alake, in a statement on Friday, described the incident as a “profound tragedy” and urged African countries to address the dangers associated with illegal and unregulated mining.

He expressed condolences to the government and people of the Central African Republic, particularly families who lost loved ones in the incident.

Alake said the tragedy should compel African countries to confront the human cost of illegal mining, which he said also deprives governments of legitimate revenues, damages the environment and facilitates illicit trafficking of mineral resources.

“Illegal and unregulated mining is not only depriving African countries of legitimate revenues, damaging our environment and facilitating the illicit trafficking of our mineral resources. It is also putting the lives of our people at grave risk and robbing us of our virile men,” he said.

He said the victims should not be reduced to statistics, noting that many artisanal miners were young men and women trying to earn a living, support their families and escape poverty.

“No mineral is valuable enough to justify the loss of a human life,” Alake said.

He called for a balanced approach to artisanal and small-scale mining, saying governments must enforce laws against illegal mining while creating opportunities for miners to operate legally, safely and productively.