Dealing with ambiguity

In 1992, the World Bank published its Strategy for African Mining arguing that the endorsement of reformed mining codes ¹ could transform the underperforming African mining sector into a driver of economic recovery. The new mining codes that followed in many African countries expanded the opportunities for commercial, particularly foreign, mining companies and led to substantial rises in exploration and mining investments (Campbell 2004, 2009). In addition, the existence of artisanal mining and its importance for poverty reduction have gradually been recognized, which has resulted in efforts to legalize, formalize, and regulate the sector. Funds from the World Bank were allocated to draft new artisanal mining codes in a number of African countries with the stated aim of building human and institutional capacity in order to implement the legislation and address the sector’s associated problems (World Bank 1992, 2004).