This poster session held during the 2026 Global Forum on ASGM provided dynamic, interactive opportunity to share ideas, exchange information, and connect with other attendees. Representatives of planetGOLD projects and from the Programme Advisory Group shared posters highlighting promising or innovative activities and achievements related to ASGM formalization, miners’ access to finance, or responsible ASGM gold supply chains.
Click each poster image below to expand and view full size.
Title: The Path to Empowerment for Artisanal Miners (Men and Women) in Togo
Author: Dr ABALO Atafeinam, President of AFEMET (Speaker at Global Forum)
This poster presents some examples of the impact of training programs conducted by the Association of Women in the Mining Sector or in Mining Companies in Togo (AFEMET) as part of its contract with the Ministry of Mines’ Mining Development and Governance Project (PDGM), which was funded by the World Bank and implemented from 2016 to 2022. The mission aimed to support the formalization of artisanal mining cooperatives in the Central Region (red zone on the map of Togo); AFEMET aligned this with the objective of its Support Project for Women Gold Miners in Togo (PAFOT), which is to strengthen the leadership and empowerment of these women. As a result, AFEMET broke new ground by training 25 women’s cooperatives and 26 mixed-gender cooperatives.
Four years later, the results are evident. Thanks to the andragogical approach of the in-house trainers and the introduction of self-assessment meetings, we see that the attitudes and daily lives of cooperative members are changing for the better: gender norms are shifting; men and women work in harmony, engage in negotiations, show greater respect for environmental and social standards, equip themselves with more efficient tools such as metal detectors, make their lives more comfortable, and plan for the future by purchasing motorcycles, tables, and chairs, building their homes, and planning the construction of their headquarters.
Title: Case study: COOPEBONANZA R.L.
Author: planetGOLD Costa Rica
The formalization of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) requires the coordination of mining, environmental, and administrative processes. The case study of CoopeBonanza R.L., in Abangares, Costa Rica, presents the progression of an operating mining activity toward formalization, including obtaining environmental viability and a mining concession. The case highlights challenges related to the coordination of mining and environmental frameworks, the absence of a clear roadmap for ASGM formalization, and differences between the environmental instruments required by the National Environmental Technical Secretariat (SETENA) and those recognized by the Directorate of Geology and Mines (DGM) under the Mining Code.
The process also illustrates coordination among these institutions and the Legal Advisory Directorate (DAJ) of the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE). The experience highlights the importance of coordinating institutional and legal requirements to advance the formalization of existing mining activities. As a key lesson, institutional willingness, compliance with requirements, and interinstitutional coordination can support progress toward ASGM formalization.
