Central African Republic
ASM Population: 450,000
350,000 diamond miners (AMDC-17) plus “significant” gold miners (calculated by UBC-14 as 291,000, but probably a little high for the production volume) suggests an estimate of → 450,000
Min/max: conservatively between HIL-16 and UBC-14+AMDC-17: -50,000/+100,000
Female participation: No data, but probably -as usual- lower in diamonds and higher in gold possibly ~15% → 70,000
Gold: 100,000 (as considered in total above)
Data sources for estimation
2018: 400,000
(IGF-18): Table 3 quoting HIL-16
Directly working in ASM: 400,000 Estimated number of dependants: 2,400,000 Main Minerals: Gold, Diamonds
2017: 350,000 diamond + significant gold
(AMDC-17):
Artisanal mining of diamonds and gold in the CAR occurs mostly in the regions of Berberati, Upper Kotto, and Sangha. Since 1962, 98% of diamonds and 100% of gold production came from ASM in these regions. CAR’s diamonds are alluvial and 100% of the sector is artisanal, with about 40–90,000 autonomous artisanal miners forming the base for the mining activity in the country. These miners, who manage and run the operations and earn about US$280 a month, employ up to 350,000 labourers (diggers and washers), who may earn up to $50 per month. The CAR’s gold production has a significant contribution from artisanal mining. Official production is estimated to be about 100 kg per year, but actual production is estimated to exceed 2 tonnes a year. Gold production is almost entirely from alluvial operations.
2016: 400,000
(HIL-16): Directly working in ASM: 400,000
Estimated number of dependants: 2,400,000
2014: 291,000
(UBC-14): Gold-only data produced by statistic modelling:
Expected ASM population: 291,000 Estimated ASM gold production: 3 t/a
2013: > 100,000
(IIED-13): > 100,000
1999: 45,000
(ILO-99): Employment: 45,000
Number of mines: n/a
Illegal mines (%): n/a
Publications
| Reference | Year | Citation | Archived Copy | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBC-14 | 2014 | Seccatore, J., Veiga, M., et al. (Univ. of British Columbia - UBC) (2014): An estimation of the artisanal small-scale production of gold in the world. Scitotenv. 496. | ubc-14.pdf | doi.org/… |
| ILO-99 | 1999 | Jennings, N. (1999): Social and labour issues in small-scale mines. Report for discussion at the Tripartite Meeting on Social and Labour Issues in Small-scale Mines. ILO, Geneva. | ilo-99.pdf | ilo.org/… |
| IIED-13 | 2013 | Buxton, A. (2013): Responding to the challenge of artisanal and small-scale mining. How can knowledge networks help? IIED, London. | iied-13.pdf | pubs.iied.org/… |
| IGF-18 | 2018 | IGF (2018): Global Trends in Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM): A review of key numbers and issues. IIED/IISD, London, Winnipeg. | igf-18.pdf | iisd.org/… |
| HIL-16 | 2016 | Hilson, G. (2016): Artisanal and small-scale mining and agriculture: Exploring their links in rural sub-Saharan Africa. IIED, London. | hil-16.pdf | pubs.iied.org/… |
| GMA-18 | 2018 | UNEP (2018): Global Mercury Assessment 2018. Technical Background Report E-Annex. Chapter 3.2. UNEP, Geneva. | gma-18.pdf | wedocs.unep.org/… |
| ARM-18 | 2018 | Barreto, M.L.,Schein, P., Hinton, J., Hruschka, F. (2018): The Impact of Small-Scale Mining Operations on Economies and Livelihoods in Low- to Middle-Income Countries. ARM, Envigado, PACT, Westcombe. | arm-18.pdf | responsiblemines.org/… |
| AMDC-17 | 2017 | AMDC (2017): ASM Sector Report. Selected countries policy profile review of ASM | amdc-17.pdf | knowledge.uneca.org/… |
Further Materials
Videos:
Articles:
| ASM DATA - Country Database Record | |
|---|---|
| Country Code | CAF |
| Country | Central African Republic |
| ASM Status | Existing (data assessed) |
| Country Count | 1 |
| Data year | 2017 |
| Publ. year | 2018 |
| ASM Miners | 450,000 |
| - gold | 100 ,000 |
| Inc. DevMin | no |
| - min. | 400,000 |
| - max. | 550,000 |
| - female | 70 ,000 |
| ASM Commodities | gold, diamond |