As a prelude to the commemoration of Women's Day in the mining sector, celebrated every June 15, the Association of Women in the Mining Sector of Burkina (AFEMIB), with the financial support of the Support Project for Strengthening Land and Mines Management (PARGFM), organized on June 11, 2024, an awareness day on the Kagtanga site, in the commune of Boudry.The objective of this initiative was to inform women working in the mining sector on safe working methods and techniques, with particular emphasis on formalization and environmental management on site.The day began with a welcome from the representative of the customary notability, who expressed his gratitude to AFEMIB for its support. 'Thanks to this support, women learned to make soap and other products for the benefit of families,' he said.During this day, participants were made aware of safety measures on gold panning sites, the use of mercury and its consequences on human health. They were asked to avoid the presence of children on gold panning sites and not to carry out gold processing activities at home.The Secretary General of AFEMIB, Ms. Annonciata Thiombiano, underlined the importance of this activity which saw the participation of academics, representatives of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), and agents of the Directorate of Artisanal and Semi-Mechanized Farms (DEMAS).Ms. Thiombiano thanked PARGFM for its continued support and welcomed the support of DEMAS and the EITI. She welcomed the mobilization of the population and particularly women.The EITI representative, Awa Compaoré, presented the activities carried out by this structure to the populations. These activities range from producing reports on mining in Burkina to sharing information and experiences with mining sector stakeholders and populations.DEMAS representative Dieudonné Somda spoke about the different types of gold mining and the associated challenges. 'There are many problems in artisanal gold mining, such as conflicts between operators and failur e to respect regulatory distances between holes. Currently, there are more than 800 artisanal gold sites in Burkina. DEMAS is raising awareness so that artisanal miners can formalize themselves,' he explained.The president of the Association of Women in the Mining Sector of Boudry, Ms. Marie Dipama, welcomed the holding of this meeting and expressed her gratitude to AFEMIB. 'AFEMIB has helped the women of Boudry a lot. We have benefited from training in saponification, breeding and soumbala production. We also received support to obtain loans from the Caisse populaire to carry out our activities. We thank AFEMIB and all of its partners for all these actions in our favor,' she said.Women, like Juliette Ouédraogo, recognized the difficulties linked to gold panning and asked for more support. 'We welcome the support of AFEMIB and ask for even more support to carry out other activities,' she declared Ms. Ouédraogo.AFEMIB encouraged women to form cooperatives and diversify their activities to guarantee stabl e and secure income.This awareness day marked an important step towards more secure and sustainable gold mining, with women better informed and better organized to meet the challenges of the mining sector in Burkina Faso.Source: Burkina Information Agency