The Governor of the Northern Province, Aime Bosenibamwe, has warned people involved in illegal acquisition and trade of minerals.Bosenibamwe issued the stern warning yesterday during a consultative meeting with representatives of mining companies that operate in the region.“It is vital to desist from illegal sale of minerals if we want the development of the mining sector,” he said.The Governor pointed out that a partnership should be established in order to coordinate and strengthen the working relationship amongst the mining companies and respect workers’ rights by giving them contracts with insurance benefits..“This will enable miners to enjoy employment benefits just like other workers,” he said.He encouraged the companies to fully adopt safety precautions and measures which enable them to do their work while conserving the environment.Substantial progress has been made as far as this issue is concerned and most of those who attended concurred that there was need to fast track this development.Elly Safari, an official in charge of Operations and Logistics at the Gifurwe Tungsten Mine in Burera District, admitted that his company had learnt important information on improving mining standards.This development comes amid intense preparations to establish an association that will bring together all players and government authorities in charge of mining to jointly develop the sector in the two countries of Rwanda and Burundi.Both countries are partners within the framework of the Regional Initiative against the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources (RINR).The RINR integrates several tools, including formalisation of the artisan mining sector as well as strengthening mineral traceability management according to the standards of the Regional Certification Mechanism.This helps to support regional peer learning on responsible mining practice in the artisan mining sector of the Great Lakes region.
