World Bank Launches Bold Vision to Transform Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining for Sustainable Growth

The World Bank’s approach stresses the importance of creating multistakeholder partnerships, integrating the efforts of governments, international organizations, the private sector, and civil society.

The World Bank has unveiled an ambitious new strategy to unlock the full potential of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM), positioning the sector as a driver of economic growth, poverty reduction, and development in emerging economies. Despite its importance in supplying minerals critical for the global clean energy transition, ASM faces persistent challenges such as environmental degradation, gender inequality, human rights concerns, and unsafe working conditions.

The strategy, outlined in the newly released report, Achieving Sustainable and Inclusive Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM): A Renewed Framework for World Bank Engagement, calls for a more robust and professionalized ASM sector. It emphasizes the need for governments to take a leading role in regulating and supporting ASM practices to ensure they contribute to national growth targets in a sustainable and equitable way.

"Despite decades-long efforts to improve artisanal and small-scale mining, the sector still faces significant legal, safety, and efficiency challenges, endangering millions of workers in the mines and across the value chain,” said Guangzhe Chen, World Bank Vice President for Infrastructure. “Our seminal report serves as a roadmap to support governments to protect the ASM workforce, empowering them to meet the global demand for minerals needed for infrastructure and technology, while also safeguarding the environment."

The World Bank’s approach stresses the importance of creating multistakeholder partnerships, integrating the efforts of governments, international organizations, the private sector, and civil society. This new framework seeks to move beyond traditional development models by promoting participatory and adaptive methods that center on the needs of ASM workers and their communities.

A key aspect of the report calls for stronger government involvement in regulating the ASM sector. This includes fostering long-term investments in infrastructure, improving safety standards, and ensuring legal frameworks that support ASM miners' livelihoods. The strategy was developed through extensive consultations with ASM actors and policymakers, aiming to foster a sustainable and inclusive approach to the sector.

With this renewed focus, the World Bank aims to transform ASM into a sector that not only contributes to economic development but also ensures better environmental stewardship and improved livelihoods for millions of artisanal miners around the world.