Manga Workshop Educates Economic Actors on Regulatory Texts for Local Mining Content

Manga — A workshop was organized in Manga on Wednesday by the Ministry of Energy Transition, Mines and Quarries, in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Burkina Faso (CCI-BF). The workshop aimed to inform economic actors in the Zoundwéogo province about the regulations related to local content in the mining sector.

According to a new release by Burkina Information Agency, an elected official at the Regional Consular Delegation (DCR) of the Center-South of the CCI-BF, the purpose of the workshop was to clarify misunderstandings and confusion surrounding local mining content. She emphasized that this issue has frequently been the subject of heated discussions in certain mining areas.

The meeting was attended by technicians from the Ministry of Energy Transition, Mines and Quarries, officials from the DCR of the Center-South of the CCI-BF, and business owners from various municipalities in the province. Mahamady Nombo, head of the local development department at the Ministry, stated that the session was part of a broader initiative to explain and disseminate texts linked to local content to regional economic partners.

Nombo highlighted that the new system aims to encourage the local supply of goods and services, accelerate local processing and valorization, and facilitate the control of local companies. “Local content can lead to economic vitality even after the mine closes,” he said.

Blaise Nikiema, one of the participants, expressed satisfaction with the information presented during the workshop. He said that many of his concerns about the concept of local content in the mining sector had been resolved. Nikiema also urged for the rigorous application of the said texts for the benefit of local suppliers in the mining sector.

It was noted that the national strategy for local content in the mining sector for 2021-2025, along with its three-year action plan for 2021-2023, was adopted in December 2021. Additionally, a decree related to local supply was adopted on November 11 of the same year, operationalizing Article 101 of the mining code, which aims to promote and develop local supply.