News & Voices

The planetGOLD Ghana Project’s Health Education Team conducted outreach programmes at Dompoase Senior High School and T.I. Ahmadiyya Senior High School, reaching over 5,200 students, teachers, and school authorities. The initiative aimed to increase awareness of the health and environmental risks of mercury exposure from Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) activities and to encourage community participation in promoting safer, mercury-free mining practices.

Alianzas científicas internacionales fortalecen la investigación ambiental en Honduras mediante capacitación en geoquímica aplicada para comunidades mineras.

A total of 65 health professionals and community volunteers from the Adansi North District participated in a two-day training workshop under the planetGOLD Ghana Project. The programme enhanced participants' knowledge of the health and environmental risks of mercury exposure from artisanal and small-scale gold mining and strengthened their capacity to prevent, identify, and manage mercury-related health conditions in mining communities.

On 20th March, the planetGOLD Zambia Project held a public lecture on Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) in Zambia at the Copperbelt University (CBU), Kitwe bringing together students, lecturers and key stakeholders to explore opportunities and challenges within the sector.

À Bongouanou, dans la région du N'Zi, l'or est une affaire de tous. Les hommes arrivent sur les sites tôt le matin, les outils à la main, et ils creusent. Certains ont des papiers. Beaucoup n'en ont pas. Pendant longtemps, N'Guessan Eba Jean Pierre faisait partie des seconds.

In Eastern Province, Vubwi District, where Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining sustains many households, Big Team is using music as a powerful tool for awareness and change. The group is made up of three artists, Henry Mhone (stage name Baxter), Ruben Mwale (stage name Leorex), and George Phiri (stage name Geo Brie). United by their passion for music and community development, the trio is committed to promoting responsible mining practices through Music.

On 5th March, the planetGOLD Zambia Project convened a round table discussion aimed at unlocking sustainable financing solutions for Zambia’s Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining (ASGM) sector and exploring a proposed financial flow model designed to improve miners’ access to finance, connect them to formal and legal gold markets and promote responsible mining practices.

Costa Rica is stepping up efforts to tackle mercury pollution in artisanal and small-scale gold mining through the launch of the US$ 41.5 million planetGOLD Costa Rica project, a five-year initiative funded by the GEF. The project seeks to reduce mercury use by an estimated 8.6 tonnes while strengthening land management practices and improving livelihoods for 28,000 people.

En Côte d'Ivoire, créer une coopérative minière artisanale suit un processus réglementaire structuré et accessible. Pourtant, nombreux sont les groupements qui le perçoivent comme un parcours semé d'embûches. L'analyse des expériences de N'ZI GOLD RESSOURCE à Bongouanou et KAOKA ANOUANZE à Bouaflé révèle une réalité surprenante : le véritable obstacle n'est ni la complexité du cadre légal ni l'incapacité des acteurs, mais leur tendance à se lancer dans les démarches sans anticiper sur les spécificités de leur localité.

En intégrant les institutions académiques comme partenaires techniques, le projet planetGOLD Côte d’Ivoire pose les bases d’un modèle innovant pour le secteur de l’EMAPE, où la connaissance ne reste pas confinée aux amphithéâtres, mais devient un levier opérationnel de transformation.

In observance of International Women’s Day, the future of Suriname’s gold sector calls for a fundamental shift, one that places awareness, collaboration, and inclusivity at its core. This message was at the forefront of today’s Community Congress, held in the Ballroom of Torarica Resort, where women and youth were strongly positioned as key drivers in the transition toward responsible gold mining.

Le chantier école de Bozi, relancé par la SODEMI et soutenu par le projet planetGOLD Côte d’Ivoire, ne sera pas seulement un site de formation : il ambitionne d’être un catalyseur de professionnalisation, d’inclusion et de pratiques responsables dans le secteur de l’or artisanal en Côte d’Ivoire .