In response to this story on today’s Daily News
ABG has on more than one occassion acknowledged the unique challenges facing their North Mara operation. The legacy issues have been well documented, that is not the news here. However, I fail to comprehend how some of the sweeping comments supposedly by the Parliamentary committee, help to address the many complex challenges on the ground. I strongly beleive that all stakeholders need to be engaged in dialogue that’s solely focused on delivering solutions for long term sustainable benefits/development for the community, government and investors. There are plenty of positive developments on the ground that shed light on how this can be acheived but these stories seem to have been swept under.
For example African Barrick Gold has partnered with Search for Common Ground to facilitate conflict resolution and help reinforce the company’s own efforts to improve relations between the North Mara mine and the villages surrounding the Tanzanian operation.
Search for Common Ground is an internationally-recognized non-governmental organization that uses a multi-faceted approach to resolve conflict in non-violent, culturally appropriate ways. The NGO is providing human rights and conflict resolution training to police and residents that live and work near the North Mara mine, designing an external grievance mechanism to deal with community concerns and developing a proposal for initiatives to address violence against women in the Mara region, among other initiatives.
Search for Common Ground has already completed four training sessions on human rights with local police, and at least two more are planned, says Reme Moya, director of sustainable business practices for the NGO. “They were very appreciative and have asked for more sessions,” she says, adding that human rights training in local communities also recently got underway.
The North Mara mine is located in an isolated, underdeveloped part of Tanzania, 30 kilometers from the Kenyan border. In-migration from other areas and countries is rampant and law enforcement capacity is limited, making the area a magnet for organized crime. Civil unrest due to poverty is also a problem.
As Moya points out, “It is a warrior culture and many local men join the military. There is also a long history of artisanal mining in the area.” In reality, a number of legacy issues and historic community grievances predate Barrick’s acquisition of the mine in 2006 and continue today.
North Mara is now operated by Barrick’s subsidiary, ABG, and efforts to secure social license and community support have been challenging, particularly in light of ongoing law and order and security issues.
Illegal entry into the mine is a constant security concern that can sometimes have serious consequences. In May, a mass intrusion of the mine’s ore stockpile resulted in a confrontation between police and armed intruders that left five intruders dead and a number of police officers injured. The problem of violence – and even allegations of sexual assaults – have challenged the company to find new and enduring solutions that address the company’s legitimate security needs consistent with the international human rights standards, specifically the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights. At the same time, the company recognizes the need to reduce community conflict and ensure local residents benefit from the operation. “North Mara is a long-term asset for us, and for Tanzania,” says Greg Hawkins, president and CEO of ABG. “The mine is a major contributor to the economy of the region and the country. We are committed to the success of this operation and to addressing issues that impact the community.”
In recent months, the company has significantly increased its engagement with the community and all levels of government in Tanzania, as part of a broader strategy to promote peaceful co-existence at North Mara. ABG’s engagement with Search for Common Ground is one of facet of the strategy. The company is also working to resolve community grievances, striving to be more transparent in its dealing with surrounding villages, and improving alignment with international human rights standards. There are signs of progress on all of these fronts.
Given the significant poverty and development challenges in the area, funding for community initiatives has also been increased. ABG recently tripled its annual community development budget in Tanzania to $10 million, a move that will allow the company to help fund more community development projects, as well as expand current projects. (See story on the launch of the Maendeleo Fund on page –.)
The mine recently provided funds to the Tarime District Council to repair roads leading to nearby villages, such as Kewanja, Nyangoto and Matongom. The repairs ensure that the roads are passable year round. All told, ABG provided $300,000 for the repair work, which the council usually pays for as part of its infrastructure budget. “The road rehabilitation has created a lot of goodwill in the community,” says Kevin D’Souza, Barrick’s Director for Community Relations. “It obviously helps with general commuting for the villagers and improves access to markets. The repairs included speed bumps to improve safety by preventing people from driving too fast.”
ABG is also working on plans to improve access to water in nearby villages, which are located in an arid region of Tanzania. The company is now delivering 90,000 liters of potable water via tanker trucks every day to surrounding villages, and it is conducting studies to identify locations for bore holes that will provide more immediate access to water.
Perhaps most important, in recent months, ABG has held numerous meetings with local leaders, elders and village assemblies to foster a regular and open dialogue with the seven villages that comprise the mine’s area of influence. The aim is to re-build trust and early indications are promising. Basie Maree, General Manager of the North Mara mine, attended the vast majority of those meetings, some of which were arranged by Search for Common Ground. “The meetings were a breakthrough,” Maree says. “They’re giving people an opportunity to speak and vent frustrations in a non-confrontational way. We’ve also made real progress in clarifying village benefit implementation agreements, royalty payments and improving transparency in land acquisitions. We recognize that there is still work to do, but these are positive developments.”
D’Souza notes that village elders greatly appreciated the fact that Maree himself participated in the meetings. “The village elders respect him and are just so glad someone like him is listening to their concerns,” he says.
Indeed, as a sign of respect for Maree, villagers now refer to him as Basie Marwa, which means first born boy child in Kurian, the local language spoken by most villagers.
ABG also recently adopted a new human rights policy, modeled after Barrick’s human rights policy, which is part of a larger human rights compliance program currently being developed by Barrick. In addition, ABG completed upgraded mandatory human rights training for its security staff that encompasses sexual assault issues, hired additional female security officers for strategic deployment on the mine site where potential for sexual harassment exists and upgraded procedures for escalation of human rights allegations.
Meanwhile, Search for Common Ground is continuing its work in North Mara. The NGO, which is in its thirtieth year of operation, has hired nine employees in Tanzania, including a former colonel in the Tanzanian military. Search for Common Ground frequently uses visuals and hands-on activities as teaching tools, Moya says. Comic strips are being drawn up that contain illustrations of behaviors that not only violate human rights but also trigger conflict. For instance, one of the comic strips includes scenes of illegal arrests and mob violence, and serves as a jumping-off point for discussion and education about fundamental freedoms and the rule of law. “People remember what they see and learn more from stories than they do from rote instruction,” Moya says. “If we sat people down and read out a bunch of declarations related to human rights, they’d forget them as soon as they walked out of the room.”
Another simple yet powerful exercise used by Search for Common Ground trainers is to ask participants to tear up a piece of paper and then try putting it back together again. “It’s very hard to do, and the paper will never be the same as it was,” Moya says. “Conflict and violence are like that, too. They tear things apart, sometimes permanently.”
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