Radio Interview
Listen to a live feature interview about conflict diamonds from TVO's The Agenda (December 5, 2006) with Ian Smillie, Research Coordinator, Partnership Africa Canada.
Run time: 13 minutes.
External Links
Communities and Small Scale Mining
At least 13 million people worldwide from over 30 developing countries engage in artisanal and small-scale mining, and a further 80-100 million people depend on this sector for their livelihood. Artisanal and small-scale miners typically have limited rights, and often expose themselves to harsh working and living conditions in a high risk context. Nonetheless, involvement in this activity continues to expand.
Communities and Small-Scale Mining (CASM), chaired by the UK government’s Department for International Development, is housed at the World Bank in Washington D.C., and address the challenges facing ASM communities as well as the need for improved coordination between institutions funding and executing assistance.
A major aim of CASM is to collect and share the lessons learned from the past decade of development efforts – what has and has not worked in different contexts – but also to contribute to the improvement of new efforts, especially given the limited resources available for work within the sub-sector.
“The DDI offers and intelligent approach to the long-standing problems of artisanal diamond mining. Regulation has its place, but development problems require development solutions.”
Ministry of Mineral Resources, Sierra Leone.
DDI Publications
Policy Brief - Artisinal Diamond Cooperatives in Sierra Leone: Succuss or Failure?
Estelle Agnes Levin with Ansumana Babar Turay, June 2008
From September 1999 to December 2007, Management Systems International (MSI) was contracted by USAID to manage its US$6.5 million Integrated Diamond Management Program (IDMP) and its Peace Diamond Alliance (PDA) in Sierra Leone. The project aimed to formalize and rationalize the artisanal sector, and increase local beneficiation.
English Version
French Version
Portuguese Version
Full Case Study - Artisinal Diamond Cooperatives in Sierra Leone: Succuss or Failure?
Standards & Guidelines for Sierra Leone’s Artisanal Diamond Mining Sector
May 2008
This guide contains practical, relevant standards and guidelines for companies, government departments and development organizations interested in working where artisanal alluvial diamond mining takes place. The first set of guidelines has been produced for Sierra Leone and the project is now being replicated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Dynamics of Diamond Pricing and Marketing in Sierra Leone
by Estelle Levin and Lansana Gberie, March 2006
This study of resource flows in Sierra Leone describes how diamonds move from the mining areas to the point of export, how prices change along the pipeline, and where the highest returns are made. The report is available in a full and a summary version.
Summary Version
Full Version
Policy Brief - April 2006
Report of the Proceedings of the DDI Conference
- Accra, October 2005
How can artisanal mining, the dominant mode of diamond production in several African countries, be made more efficient and beneficial to the miners, and to the countries in which they work?
Background Paper on Micro Development Issues - by Ian Smillie, August 2005
Why is the DDI Important at a Micro Economic Level? What are the constraints to a free, fair and competitive market for artisanal diamond miners? Are there entry points, pressure points or “choke points” that might advance initiatives that aim to support artisanal miners? Are there positive and/or negative lessons from current or previous initiatives? What capacities exist to deal with the challenges and opportunities? What additional capacities are needed? What more do we need to know? Who needs to be involved in taking the issue forward?
Background Paper on Macroeconomic Issues - by Chaim Even-Zohar, August 2005
This paper reviews challenges and opportunities for positive change in the macroeconomic environments of Africa’s alluvial diamond producing countries, focusing particularly on the artisanal sector.