Taita Taveta University (TTU) is partnering with sponsors and other stakeholders to equip artisanal and small-scale miners with sufficient knowledge on safety and value addition.
With sponsorship from the German Academic Service and through the Centre for Excellence for Mining Environmental Engineering and Resources Management (CEMERM), the Coastal-based University has partnered with two Germany Universities, Technical University of Mining in Freiberg and University of Applied Sciences in Dresden, to update the skills and knowledge of the miners.
Speaking in Kakamega town during a three-day technical training workshop organised for artisanal and small-scale miners from Kakamega and Vihiga counties, Prof. Maurice Juma Ogada, Professor of agricultural and resource economics at TTU, said due to unregulated mining practices across the country, accidents were frequent as well as environmental degradation.
Prof. Ogada, who is also the manager of CEMERM, said TTU is stretching its normal reach to other areas across the country to impart knowledge and awareness to artisanal and small-scale miners following increased cases of accidents.
“We want to make artisanal and small-scale miners aware of risks and dangers posed to the environment and how we can minimise the risks and rehabilitate areas mining has been taking place,” he added.
Prof. Ogada said the training seeks to bring to the fore human rights abuses in mining areas, which he noted were being abetted by some of the miners without their knowledge.
He added that the training is also geared to enlighten the miners about compliance with international standards of the products needed.
“Last year we sponsored two miners to attend an international show in Munich, Germany, and a tour of well-developed mining companies for our artisanal and small-scale miners to understand what the market needs,” he added.
He said Taita Taveta University is in the process of developing an institute to offer middle-level training in mining, which he noted will be spread out to other tertiary and vocational training colleges.
Prof. Ogada said the university will host the 5th CEMERM conference that will bring together global players in the mining industry and where artisanal and small-scale miners will be allowed to showcase their products.
The theme of the training is ‘Towards zero fatalities and zero mercury: advancing safety, health, and sustainability in artisanal and small-scale mining”.
By George Kaiga
