Non Governmental Organization, Africa Center for Leadership Strategy and Development (Center LSD) has said it is has established working relationship with Artisanal Small Scale Miners in Ekiti, Ebonyi and Taraba states to further bring them at par with global practices.
The Center also tasked media practitioners on the wide reportage of environmental and mineral resources sector to put it in better perspective.
The NGO which has been in partnership with the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development (MMND) on some programmes in the mining sector stressed that there is need to do more.
This appeal was made during the Center LSD/MMND roundtable on a theme: ‘Strengthening Civic Engagement and Advocacy for Effective Natural Resource Governance in Nigeria’ held at Ibeto Hotel , Abuja.
Center LSD acting executive director Mr. Monday Osasah said the African continent is very rich and diverse. There are abundant human and natural resources in the continent but the continent has the worst development indices in the world.
According to Osasah Center LSD and its international partner have collaborated to educate Artisanal Scale Miners (ASM) in EkitI, Ebonyi and Taraba states on proper ways of mining, the available grants and how to access them; their rights and helping them to form cooperatives for proper coordination.
Osasah said, “We just opened the eyes of the miners. We are able to ask for their rights” adding that “African Mining Vision (AMV) said it is forbidden for women and children to go into the mines but it’s not the same in Nigeria. At the end of the day they are paid one thousand naira.
“What we have encouraged is to constitute (ASM) into cooperatives so as to be part of the larger markets,” he said.
Africa Center for Leadership Strategy and Development (Center LSD) is and NGO established under Nigerian laws to build strategy leadership for sustainable development in Africa.
