Date: 6/19/2006
Duration: 86 minutes
Language: English
Country/Region: World
Keywords: Energy, Mining, Community Driven Development
Presenters:
Cecilia Araujo
Edward Bickham
Sujata Lamba
Oscar Mendoza
DESCRIPTION
Although oil, gas, and mining industries make major economic contributions to many countries, they have not always been linked in the past with successful or sustainable development. In order to better understand how these industries can have a positive impact on lesser-developed countries, a workshop on “Sharing Experience: Enhancing the Benefits to Communities from Extractive Industry Projects” was held at the International Finance Corporation (IFC) headquarters on June 19, 2006. This session on “Good Practice Examples of Developing Local SMEs” was chaired by Sujata Lamba, Manager for IFC.
Oscar Mendoza of Recursos opened by sharing his experiences in building a supply chain for industry. He commented on how this process can encourage small entrepreneurs at the face-to-face level, and answered a few questions on the involvement of local businesses and government. Cecilia Araujo from Swiss Contact presented the reasoning and strategy behind the project, including the importance of creating sustainable economies around catalyst industry. She also detailed the lessons learned from the initiative. Edward Bickham, Executive Vice President for Anglo American, discussed another community-building project in South Africa centering on mining and platinum producers. The program aimed to correct for the legacy of apartheid by easing entrepreneurship among poor South Africans. Bickham answered questions about the challenges of this initiative, as well as its exit strategy.
