The World Gold Council, a London-based organization responsible for protecting and expanding the global gold market, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Ghana to establish an artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) framework.
The deal is primarily intended to combat illegal gold mining, which has ravaged Ghana’s gold industry for decades.
It also aims to improve supply chain integrity and strengthen cooperation with small-scale miners, as reported by Mining Weekly.
As part of this cooperation, the parties will collaborate on training and educational programs for artisanal mining communities, capacity building, traceability and origin verification technology, and the establishment of policies and standards.
To facilitate cooperative registration under Ghana's Responsible Cooperative Mining and Skills Development Program, or rCOMSDEP, the Council has initially committed a $250,000 development fund.
