Making Financing Accessible to Artisanal Gold Mining Communities

There are an estimated 15 million artisanal gold miners globally. Yet, many miners are excluded from the financial sector. They are often unable to access financing from microcredit or financial institutions and are unbanked altogether. This leaves them dependent on informal sources of financing—including informal traders buying their gold. Access to financing, such as through community savings groups, helps break the link to illicit trade and serves as an important entry point to conflict resolution and peacebuilding by supporting solidarity among members.

Responsible sourcing initiatives must incorporate access to financing for actors in the artisanal gold supply chain to support efforts towards formalization and legal trade. Hear findings from IMPACT’s report, Financing the Unbanked: How Community Savings Groups Can Create Pathways for Legal Artisanal Gold in Burkina Faso, and explore how models for access to financing can be applied to contexts around the globe.

Speakers:

Désiré Nikiema—Alliance for Responsible Mining (ARM), Burkina Faso National Coordinator

Hamado Derra—IMPACT, Burkina Faso Focal Point

Susan Keane—planetGOLD, Global Coordinator

Kady Seguin—IMPACT, Policy and Research Director