The African Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG) has expressed deep concern over the reported deaths of more than 100 artisanal miners in a gold mine collapse in Zamboye, Central African Republic. The group is calling for urgent measures to strengthen safety standards and regulation in Africa’s artisanal mining sector.
AMSG Chairman Condemns Tragedy
Chairman of AMSG, Dele Alake, in a statement issued on Friday, described the incident as a profound tragedy that should compel African countries to take urgent action to protect lives in the mining sector. Alake extended condolences to the Government and people of the Central African Republic, particularly the families of the miners who lost their lives in the disaster.
He said the victims were not merely statistics, but breadwinners, fathers, sons, brothers and members of communities who depended on them for survival. According to him, the incident highlights the dangers associated with illegal and unregulated mining activities across the continent.
Risks of Illegal Mining Highlighted
Alake noted that beyond depriving African countries of legitimate revenues, illegal mining contributes to environmental degradation, facilitates illicit trafficking of mineral resources and exposes miners to serious risks.
“This tragedy is again, a painful reminder that behind every statistic about illegal mining are human beings—young men and women trying to earn a living, support their families and escape poverty,” he said. The AMSG Chairman stressed that no mineral resource was valuable enough to justify the loss of human lives.
Call for Balanced Approach
He called for a balanced approach to artisanal and small-scale mining, urging governments to enforce laws against illegal mining while also creating opportunities for artisanal miners to operate legally and safely. Alake said the continent must address the conditions that push people into unsafe mining operations by promoting formalisation, improving safety standards and providing miners with legal and productive pathways to earn a livelihood.
He said AMSG would continue to advocate a continental approach focused on stronger regulation, improved mine-safety standards, responsible formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining and better protection for mining communities.
Demand for Action
According to him, Africa’s mineral resources must contribute to decent livelihoods and economic development rather than result in preventable deaths. Alake urged African governments and stakeholders not to allow the Zamboye tragedy to become another statistic that would be mourned and forgotten.
He said Africa’s mineral revolution must prioritise both the value of the continent’s mineral resources and the lives of the people who work to extract them. “We owe the victims of Zamboye more than our condolences. We owe them action,” he said.
