A chunk of Africa's mineral wealth is being looted — but how? Illegal mining — a billion-dollar shadow trade, defying authorities from Congo to Ghana. Who and what's behind this dangerous and clandestine empire, and why can't it be crushed?
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00:00 Illegal mining is basically the illicit extraction and trade of precious metals such as gold,
00:05 diamond, cobalt without proper licensing or adherence to regulations.
00:10 It is a complex issue that intersects with organized crime,
00:14 environmental degradation, and human exploitation.
00:17 The scale of the problem is staggering.
00:20 In Central African Republic CAR, for example, it is estimated that 97.5% of gold production
00:28 is not officially registered and is smuggled out of the country.
00:31 According to the mining group GEMFIELDS,
00:33 20% of the world's gold production comes from artisanal mining, much of it illegal.
00:39 So who are the players in illegal mining?
00:43 An Interpol report says that the miners themselves are at the bottom of the chain.
00:48 They are often vulnerable individuals who trade their safety
00:51 for the slim chance of a golden ticket out of poverty.
00:56 Women make up half of Africa's artisanal miners and children another 10%.
01:01 Mine managers, financers, and then illegal buyers are also involved.
01:06 At the very top are some big dealers, organized crime groups, otherwise known as OCGs,
01:12 high-ranking political and economic actors, as well as non-state armed groups in conflict
01:17 zones like in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
01:20 But why can't governments stop them?
01:23 The answer, according to most analysts, lies in corruption and lack of political will.
01:28 Additionally, illegal mining provides a living
01:31 albeit dangerous and illegal to millions of impoverished citizens,
01:36 making some governments hesitant to crack down, some reports suggest.
01:40 Some countries like South Africa are even mulling plans to
01:43 formalize artisanal mining in a bid to mitigate the scourge.
01:47 In Ghana, tech-based solutions like using artificial intelligence,
01:51 remote sensing, and satellite data are being explored to mitigate the effects of illegal mining.