Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Formalisation Training Course

This advanced course develops technical skills in artisanal and small-scale mining formalisation, covering licensing pathway design, mercury and mercury-free processing strategy, and coexistence frameworks with large-scale mining operations. Participants work through real formalisation programme challenges rather than policy aspiration alone, examining what actually gets artisanal miners into the formal system. The course closes with a formalisation strategy designed for a defined artisanal mining context.

Artisanal and small-scale mining supports millions of livelihoods across Africa, yet the sector operates largely outside formal regulation in most jurisdictions, leaving miners without legal protection, exposed to unsafe working conditions, and governments without the revenue or oversight that formalisation would provide.

Formalisation efforts frequently fail because licensing pathways are designed around large-scale mining assumptions that artisanal miners cannot realistically meet, pushing formalisation further out of reach rather than closer to it. This advanced course moves beyond formalisation policy statements into the licensing pathway design, mercury reduction strategy and large-scale mining coexistence decisions that determine whether formalisation genuinely reaches artisanal miners.

• Explain the scale and characteristics of the artisanal and small-scale mining sector
• Assess why formalisation pathways commonly fail to reach artisanal miners
• Design licensing pathways matched to artisanal mining realities
• Structure mercury reduction and mercury-free processing strategy
• Evaluate coexistence frameworks between artisanal and large-scale mining
• Assess access to finance and markets for formalised artisanal miners
• Design occupational health and safety approaches for artisanal mining
• Evaluate gender dimensions of artisanal mining formalisation
• Advise institutions on artisanal mining formalisation strategy

This course is designed for:

• Ministry of mining artisanal mining desk officers
• Artisanal and small-scale mining programme managers
• Mining cooperative development staff
• Large-scale mining company community relations staff
• Development finance institution ASM programme staff
• Environmental health and mercury reduction programme staff
• County mining liaison officers
• Mining sector NGO and civil society staff

The programme is delivered through facilitator-led technical sessions combined with licensing pathway case studies, mercury reduction strategy exercises and a coexistence framework design simulation, structured around small-group work and real or anonymised artisanal mining material rather than lecture alone. Each module closes with a short applied task so participants leave with working tools rather than notes alone.

Institutions sending staff on this course can expect:

• Formalisation pathways that genuinely reach artisanal miners
• Reduced mercury use and improved miner and community health
• Better-managed coexistence between artisanal and large-scale mining
• Improved access to finance and fair markets for formalised miners
• Stronger occupational health and safety in artisanal mining
• Increased government revenue from formalised mineral production
• Improved miner trust and engagement with formalisation programmes
• A documented artisanal mining formalisation strategy
• Stronger overall mineral sector governance and inclusion

Participants finish this course with:

• Advanced technical skill in artisanal mining formalisation strategy
• Confidence to design licensing pathways matched to sector realities
• Sharper mercury reduction strategy design skills
• Practical experience designing large-scale mining coexistence frameworks
• Stronger standing in artisanal mining policy discussions
• A completed formalisation strategy for direct application
• Improved ability to address gender dimensions of formalisation
• A specialist network across African artisanal mining practice
• A foundation for senior artisanal mining policy leadership roles

At Strategic Revenue Africa, our certification goes beyond proof of attendance—it represents practical competence and measurable capability. Upon successful completion of our training programs, participants are awarded a Certificate of Completion from Strategic Revenue Africa, recognizing their ability to apply acquired knowledge in real-world settings. As an organization focused on architecting sustainable revenue and strengthening organizational performance, our certifications signal that participants are equipped with skills that drive results, not just theory.

Prior experience in mining sector policy, artisanal mining programming or mineral sector regulation is expected. This is an advanced, practitioner-level course.