A Request For Help For Artisanal Miners In Kenya
Cecilia Wandiga recently returned from Kenya with this request for help and investors in a project to support artisanal miners. Below, read about the scope of this project.
Lake Region Community Development Ltd. is a company limited by guarantee registered under cap 486 laws of Kenya. In this proposed initiative, it aims to promote artisan-mining operation and streamline the marketing of the mineral products for maximum gain. Mining Enterprise is a new community-based group-owned enterprise, aimed to produce quality-controlled gold and other mineral products for income generation with a potential market of over Kshs 97,200,000 (USD 1,620,000) per year.
The enterprise will be located in Nyatike Division of Migori District in Western part of Kenya. This is a semi-arid area with very limited rainfall. The rainfall pattern is very erratic making agriculture a very risky venture. The region has been hard hit by the recent post-election violence in Kenya and the residents desperately need to find a way to empower themselves economically. A large part of the resentment that built up in this region is the commonly shared feeling that, thus far, government policies have ignored the region making it hard for economic development to occur.
Currently, residents of Nyatike depend on rudimentary gold mining and for those living along the shores of Lake Victoria, fishing for their livelihood. This trend has been faced with a number challenges such as: 1] lack of awareness on environmental hazards caused by mining operations; 2] lack of information regarding the economic viability of mineral resources; 3] lack of ability among the local community to secure financing for their mining activities; 4] lack of institutional capacity to mainstream mineral resource use with the local communities and finally; 5] lack of proper marketing system.
Currently, the locals have turned to charcoal burning and subsistence farming despite the adversities of weather. With the introduction of tobacco, the majority of local people are now turning to this crop for the much-needed cash. This situation has brought with it some problems namely, the depletion of the soil cover due to the cutting down of trees for tobacco curing and for charcoal. The impact of this situation is that the rainfall patterns continue to be more erratic increased soil erosion and the resultant decreased crop yields finally resulting to the vicious cycle of poverty.
Members of the community have already identified the business opportunity in mineral production and processing. The company intends to promote mineral production in the area. The enterprise intends to provide miners with modern appropriate technologies for efficient mining operations. The offices will be located at Mikei Centre, where a processing house has already been acquired. We are requesting Kshs. 25,000,000 (USD 416,667) to cover the cost of machinery and equipment. The enterprise will start yielding profits immediately after commencement and it will achieve sales of almost Kshs. Kshs. 97,200,000 (USD 1,548,386) with net surplus of over Kshs. 71,040,000 (USD 1,131,660) by the end of the first year. The enterprise will be self-sustaining by the end of the first year.
Cecilia Wandiga is President & CEO of Global Ectropy, Inc.(www.globalectropy.com)
Cecilia Wandiga can be reached at cwandiga at globalectropy dot com
