Skip to main content
Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) benefits 40 million people worldwide, thereby raising major social and environmental issues. As part of the economic diversification project through support for the mining sector (MinDiver), the Nigerian government is seeking to diversify its sources of income and increase revenues from the mining sector, particularly artisanal and small-scale mining.
Our teams have contributed to the establishment of an IT unit equipped with a GIS, a database and remote sensing applications to: 1) promote data acquisition by ministry staff, 2) identify areas with high mining potential using a remote sensing monitoring and field data acquisition system, including analysis and interpretation of the data, and 3) develop a strategy for formalising artisanal and small-scale mining through capacity building within the administration.
Artisanal mining operations were visited in the field and mapped using georeferencing and image interpretation. The study was supplemented by an economic assessment and training for operators in good practices for sustainable economic and environmental development.