Environmental and Social Management for a Mining Project in West Africa

Acorn International is currently supporting a large mining company in Guinea with the development of their Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP) and related obligations to the project’s lenders. including the review of their Environmental and Social Management Plans (ESMP) and the coordination and implementation of activities required to be carried out by the ESAP and the ESMP.

The project also includes support for the mediation process that the company is currently undergoing following a complaint filed by local community members to the office of the CAO (Compliance Advisor Ombudsman). Among others, the complaint raises concerns related to lack of informed consultation, lack of compensation for loss of land and displacement, impacts on livelihoods, safety risks for the communities in relation to the mining operations, and air and water pollution.

Two of our team members have been spending time on the ground working in the client’s offices, in order to better understand the dynamics of the region and the relations between the company and the communities.