Posted on 29 Jun 2016 – Press release of the Ministry of Mines and Geology

On June 3^rd the Ministry of Mines and Geology officially launched the roundtable on the Responsible Mineral Development Initiative(RMDI) under the auspices of the Prime Minister, Head of Government .

All relevant stakeholders of the mining sector were present. These included members of the government, representatives of the United Nations , the World Economic Forum, the International Finance Corporation and the Guineo – German Cooperation . Furthemore, representation included ambassadors of partner countries , mining companies’ directors as well as representatives of local communities and civil society . This sufficiently proves the importance of this initiative to jointly define the terms and operating strategies of the mining sector in a sustainable and responsible manner.

During the meeting, the representative of the United Nations system reiterated the fact that the roundtable is in line with the Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs ). He also emphasized on “the promotion of an institutional and security environment conducive for responsible mining standards and the existence of a strategic , equitable and transparent distribution of resources”.

The Minister of Mines, Abdoulaye Magassouba, emphasized the fact that “the major challenge facing all the mining stakeholders is ensuring a shared benefit of mining activities, to avoid as much as possible conflicts, to mitigate the negative impacts of mining and to have a better definition of the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders.”

For his part, the Prime Minister focused on the need for a dialogue involving all stakeholders in order to build confidence and improve the image of the sector through a better distribution of benefits . To this end, his excellency Mamady Youla said that”the government has committed to assist all actions that tend to increase and qualify significantly induced effects of mining on other sectors of the national economy . “

Taking into consideration the need to know the views of stakeholders on the value management in the mining sector , the Ministry of Mines and Geology in partnership with UNDP provides for the conduct of a national survey . This national survey will provide the means to assess and communicate the needs and expectations of various stakeholders while guiding the discussions during the workshops.

These thematic workshops focus mainly on the legislative and regulatory framework , mining infrastructure , community development , problems of artisanal mining and the impact of mining on the national economy. It should be pointed out that the United Nations system in Guinea , the African Centre for Mining Development and the German Development Cooperation support the implementation of the Round Table . Their interventions are structured around four main actions: ·

• The strategic and logistical support for the organization of the Round Table in November 2016,
• The organization of the national survey ;
• the mobilization of external stakeholders;
• and the support for the formulation and operationalization of an integrated action plan resulting from the strategy that will come from this Round Table.