Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) has earned the distinction of being the springboard for people centred development.
It holds out opportunities to eradicate poverty, create employment, generate income from mineral exports, and provide social stability in the coming decades.
A thriving small-scale mining sector, besides offering direct employment and “real” income to the unskilled rural populace, also helps in stemming the rural-urban migration, enabling people to stay rooted in their communities practising complementing agricultural and mineral trades. In effect, the multiplier effects of small-scale mining are pervasive and significant, providing synergistic inputs into the local and regional economy.