Background | Project Objectives | Description
PROJECT STATUS: ACTIVE
PARTNER/CLIENT NAME: Chamber of Mines, Government of Guinea, The World Bank Group/International Finance Corporation
COUNTRY/REGION: Guinea, Sub-Saharan Africa
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FOCUS: Sustainable Community Development
MINING SECTOR: Gold and Bauxite
BACKGROUND
The World Bank Group's Management Response to the Extractive Industry Review (EIR) underscored the importance of extending benefits of extractive industries projects to local commiunities, stating that: “Our future investments in extractive industries will be selective, with greater focus on the needs of poor people, and a stronger emphasis on good governance and on promoting environmentally and socially sustainable development” (The Final Report of the EIR - WBG Management Response, p.iii). The proposed operation fits squarely with principles of EIR management response, as it will support the establishment of a foundation and the requisite capacity building in an area, surrounding a mining operation. Sustainability of mining operation benefits beyond the life of an extractive industry project will thus be ensured.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the Community Development Framework Study (CDFS) are to:
-
Review existing community development initiatives in the seven (7) operating industrial mines in Guinea;
-
Assess community development impacts achieved under each of the intitiatives, and highlight constraints, opportunities and lessons learned;
-
Appraise the recommendations coming from the PACV Project including the recently created ‘Communauté Rurale Décentralisée’ or CRD fit with mining community development;
-
Identify successes and their fit and suitability with respect to local institutional and regulatory settings;
-
Prepare a “Framework for Mining-based Community Development in Guinea” to serve as a guide for present and future industrial mines in Guinea; and
-
Prepare policy-based recommendations so as to provide government and mining companies with an improved approach to community development that companies, civil society and local/regional government can use in building partnerships
DESCRIPTION
This project is a joint World Bank/IFC initiative aimed at providing Guinea with:
- an assessment of existing community development initiatives around prominent mining operations; and
- a basis for the formulation of a unified policy and framework for community development to enable long term sustainable community development for present and future industrial mining areas of the country.
In the context of increasing development and exploitation of mines and associated plants and facilities the project will assess experiences in Guinea including diagnostics of experiences on the six industrial operations, their developmental impacts and drawing lessons from successes and constraints from these initiatives in Guinea. The project will also draw lessons from accepted international best practice in community development linked to mineral extraction (mainly gold and bauxite) and will identify how these lessons can be adapted to the Guinean situation to provide a tool to the government and to private mining companies to increase benefits from mining for local population. Extensive consultation will be carried out during the study with local involved communities, private mineral companies and appropriate members of the civil society to enhance input and “ownership” of the defined way forward for community development in Guinea.
The project will be coordinated jointly by the Government of Guinea, the World Bank/IFC and the Chamber of Mines with close coordination with civil society organisations in Guinea. A focal point for input by each of the stakeholders above will be identified in order to pilot the project during implementation and provide for relevant feedback.
Extensive consultation will be conducted involving communities, mining companies and appropriate civil society groupings to enhance input and “ownership” of the proposed framework for community development planning around mines in Guinea. A consultation workshop involving all key stakeholders will be held after a draft report has been completed, in order to provide a forum for discussion and validation of the findings and the recommendations from the study before its finalization. The final report, “Framework for Community Development in Guinea” will be detailed enough to guide interested parties through the practical implementation of the recommended scheme. The report will provide mining companies with a readily available tool through an operational guidance manual to implement community development activities, even before a policy is formally adopted by the Guinean authorities. The project is expected to provide a basis for the design of an improved community development framework for the mining sector. It is expected that the strategic framework that this study will recommend will also be tested on the ground in other mining projects in Guinea in which the World Bank Group is involved.
Featured Objects
Community Development Framework Study for the Mining Sector in the Republic of Guinea
Harnessing the opportunities that the mining sector can bring to community development is not an easy task, and not one that can be completed quickly. Within a limited time frame the activities of seven mining operations and two projects at the pre-operational phase were reviewed and lessons drawn from these experiences as well as from other community development and poverty reduction programmes in Guinea. Examples of good practice approaches to community development in the extractive industry in other countries have also been considered. This report and the framework presented are intended as a first step in establishing a new approach to community development and are dependent on the participation and commitment of all players.
Related Items
Center for International Studies and Cooperation
CECI provides services to support development in many of the poorest countries on the planet and has done so for many years. It has mobilized thousands of mostly volunteer cooperants, providing them with proper supervision in the field, in partnership with local organizations. CECI has also mobilized major financial and material resources. It is recognized for its expertise in economic development, social development and democratic development.
Partnership Africa Canada
Partnership Africa Canada works in partnership with organizations in Africa, Canada and internationally to build sustainable human development in Africa.
Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD)
Rio Tinto Alcan Partners to Support Guinea's Efforts in Achieving Millennium Development Goals
Rio Tinto Alcan announced today, during an official ceremony held in Conakry, that it will support Guinea's efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through a Partnership with the United Nations Development Programme and Guinea's National Ministry of the Interior and Security. The Partnership will fund a project to strengthen the planning capacity of elected officials and civil servants in the Boké region, where Rio Tinto Alcan holds an interest in Compagnie des Bauxites de Guinée (CBG) and is studying development of an alumina refinery.
Managing Risk and Maintaining License to Operate: Participatory Planning and Monitoring in the Extractive Industries
This study explores how communities and companies can engage in co-planning and monitoring to ensure sustainable local development benefits from the extraction of resources. Within the context of a spectrum of participation a variety of tools and mechanisms are presented in the paper. Some of these tools have been used primarily in the public sector, however companies stand to benefit from the tools in forms that are adapted to context, as they are potential vehicles to increase transparency, and thus accountability of companies, communities and governments.
