(11 October 2021) The organization Afroleadership took part in a local training workshop organized by the Project for the Improvement of Monitoring of the Extractive Industry in Sub-Saharan Francophone Africa (PASIE). The capacity-building session focuses on “the role of CSOs in capitalizing on economic opportunities related to mining exploitation.” The activity takes place from 11 to 13 October 2021 in Yaoundé.
This is an institutional activity organized under the supervision of the Services of the Supreme State Audit Office of Cameroon, in collaboration with the Regional Council for Training of Supreme Audit Institutions of Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa (CREFIAF). Alongside other national stakeholders involved in monitoring the extractive industry in Cameroon, Guy Merlin Tatchou, an Open Data expert, represents Afroleadership, as well as Théodore Mouchingam, Human Rights Program Officer at Afroleadership.
Objective of the training
The aim is to “enable members of civil society organizations (CSOs), parliamentarians, and staff of mining chambers to acquire in-depth knowledge of the various opportunities offered by the mining value chain—from exploration to mine closure, including construction or development and exploitation of a mine—so that they can actively and fully play their role in advocacy and awareness-raising for better empowerment of these economic opportunities by local decentralized communities hosting mining activities.”
Expectations
More specifically, CSOs are expected to contribute to mapping exploration and development activities of mineral deposits, along with the associated economic and employment opportunities and the stakeholders involved in each stage. Furthermore, this mapping should extend to production, processing, valorization, and/or transformation activities of minerals or mining products. The training also covers rehabilitation, restoration, and mine closure activities.
Trainers
Two PASIE extractive industry experts lead the training. One is Léondide Mupepele, whose involvement in the mining sector dates back to 1985. He has worked across the Democratic Republic of Congo at all administrative levels, from local to continental. The other is Professor Théophile Ndougsa Mbarga, PASIE’s extractive sector expert, who also shares his experience. His expertise extends beyond Africa, as he is an affiliated member of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, following high-level positions in the sector in Cameroon.
Afroleadership Communications Department