Stories from the Field
Joint tag management in South Kivu for greater transparency
In Numbi, management of ITSCI tags was a point of tension and suspicion. The concession owner SAKIMA, the mining company AMUR and the local cooperative COPAMIHANUBU were on one side, and state technical services SAEMAPE and Divimines were on the other. The presence of...
ITSCI’s Risk Awareness Radio Campaign in DRC
A radio campaign was launched in DRC broadcasting every month over 500 spots in both French and Swahili on 21 radio stations. In Maniema province’s Lubutu territory Hugo Assani Muloba, a host of “Umoja ya Lubutu” radio station, noticed the interest of his audience on...
ITSCI trains the National Steering Committee (NSC) in Burundi
In 2019, Burundi inaugurated its National Steering Committee for 3T Mineral Traceability and Due Diligence. The NSC follows the model established by ITSCI in neighbouring DRC, and is one of the recommendations from the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible...
PPA Delegation Visits ITSCI Sites in DRC and Rwanda
In December 2019, members of the Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA) had the opportunity to visit ITSCI mine sites in the Great Lakes region. Representatives of the U.S. government, PPA Secretariat, and downstream companies toured mines in the...
ITSCI member company participates in community improvements
Since it started operations in Muhanda, ITSCI member NL Mining Ltd has had a positive impact on the community through the eradication of illegal mining and Corporate Social Responsibility actions carried out in partnership with the local community and local...
ITSCI’s ‘25-minute chat’ with miners in DRC
When ITSCI expands to new areas, the team begins by establishing and training a local multi-stakeholder committee. In Bitale, ITSCI, accompanied by a delegation led by the Provincial Minister of Mines' Cabinet Director, trained 62 participants in April 2019. The...
Boosting local businesses and Bringing peace among clans
In the Pangi territory, the benefits of the ITSCI programme have transformed a decades-long local conflict. Since 1975, the Nbizu, Ngozi and Kayeye clans have been in a protracted land dispute. The clans disagreed about the boundaries between each community’s land in...
Sparking Growth in ITSCI Communities in Burundi
In July 2019, the Burundian government stressed the importance of the mining sector, which contributes more to the national economy than the traditional exports such as coffee and tea. ITSCI covers 155 sites in 21 communes in Burundi and directly employs at least...
Mobilisation campaign against child labour in Rwanda
In 2015, the United Nations established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), composed of 17 goals aimed to be achieved by 2030. Under Goal 8, which promotes decent work and economic growth for all, target 8.7 calls for an end to child labour worldwide by 2025....
International Delegates see benefits of ITSCI first-hand
ITSCI and the Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board (RMB) took the opportunity in organising a mine site visit on 17 October 2018 for the 150 delegates attending the 59th Tantalum Niobium International Study Center (T.I.C.) in Kigali, Rwanda. This allowed for the...
Stronger OECD implementation on the ground in DRC
The ITSCI traceability and due diligence programme was piloted in 2010 at one mine in DRC's South Kivu province. Eight years later, ITSCI covers seven DRC provinces and nearly 1,000 sites where 40,000-plus artisanal miners extract and sell conflict-free 3T minerals....
Proactive expansion of mineral traceability in Shabunda
In 2016, the ITSCI programme was implemented at five mine sites in in Shabunda, South Kivu, DRC. A local multi-stakeholder committee, or CLS, was set up and trained. Members began holding monthly meetings to discuss and monitor activities and review and mitigate risks...