Zimbabwe Accountability and Artisanal Mining Program

This project, which closed in 2021, increased cooperation between small-scale and industrial miners in Zimbabwe and formalized production and trade of gold by the country’s estimated 500,000 artisanal miners. The project focused on gold mining sites in the areas of Shurugwi, Gwanda, and Kwekwe, working to improve operational, safety, and environmental standards. In an extensive 2014 baseline study, Pact found that the use of mercury in artisanal mining in Zimbabwe was widespread. In response and in line with the Minimata Convention on Mercury, Pact partnered with Zimbabwe's government to develop an inventory of mercury use and a national action plan for mercury reduction. Pact also informed policymaking, working with the government to increase the contribution of gold to Zimbabwe’s economy and development.