Can the gold commodity provide better lives for mining freelancers who struggle to survive in Burkina Faso? Burkina Faso is poor West African country with a population of 13million. The nation is attempting to recover its gold mining market, encouraged and influenced by the world financial crisis as well as the need to decrease the economy’s reliance on cotton. Miners all over the nation are desperately getting involved in hazardous hunts for gold in pits that they dig with their own very hands. Throughout the wet season, miners are killed by landslips and in contrast, when the dry seasons arrive the children in fact help sift the soil in attempt to find little golden nuggets. These nuggets provide the families with food and survival resources. If a miner is having a good day, 10 dollars will be his earnings from digging out 5 milligrams worth.  Their methods are strictly “raw” with no technology used, as these miners have no access to such things.

Currently, Burkina Faso is undergoing recovery which was encouraged due to the country’s main export namely cotton, being weakened. The financial crisis is enticing stockholders to purchase low-risk assets such as gold, which is now selling for about $1,000 per ounce.

Burkina Faso has a goal:

The goal is to within the next 3 years to link the positions of Africa’s top manufacturers — South Africa, Ghana and Mali. North East of the country lays the Taparko-Somita mine, which is run by the Canadian-listed, Russian-controlled company High River Gold and is the first gold mine to initialise operations within the last 2 years. In 2008 they together produced 5.5 tons which the government takes 10% of.

Results:

Burkina Faso miners, who in the past worked only for themselves, are sourcing employment with the mining corporations. Finally they receive remuneration, work in safer circumstances and are given efficient training and evaluations.

The state is still recovering, and therefore there are still major struggles to conquer as the government aims to provide for the country’s people.

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