A mining cooperative called the Relwendé Cooperative for the artisanal processing of Zandkoom minerals was created on September 19, 2024 in Zandkoom, in the commune of Sabcé, with the aim of improving artisanal gold production and preserving the health of populations who used many substances harmful to their health.

The cooperative has 36 members, including 4 men and 32 women. Its creation was made possible thanks to the Association of Women in the Mining Sector of Burkina Faso (AFEMIB), which trained and supervised the members.

According to Kady Sawadogo, a member of AFEMIB, the initiative was taken by his organization because AFEMIB had noticed that many people were engaged in artisanal gold mining in the village, and their way of doing things posed many problems.

“We noticed that they were already organized in an association. And since mining activity is developed in the area, we supported them in setting up a cooperative that will allow them to better organize the sector, avoiding the use of chemical
s and increasing their productivity,” explained Kady Sawadogo.

AFEMIB first trained the cooperative members in mining extraction in August 2024.

Still within the framework of the support of the beneficiaries, a list of equipment necessary for successful mining was developed during the training. This list was validated by the cooperative and AFEMIB on September 19, 2024. The next step in the process will be the equipment of the cooperative by AFEMIB.

For the president of the cooperative, Kaligueta Ouédraogo, the support of AFEMIB allowed them not only to acquire knowledge in mining, but above all to formalize the cooperative which will allow them to better supervise the activity in the area.

‘We thank AFEMIB for what it has done for us. We were trained first. Today, it has helped us set up the cooperative. And it still plans to equip us in the coming days so that we can work better,’ she said.

The training of the members was provided by the firm WHAT YOU NEED.

It should be recalled that this activity is
part of the implementation of the Community Development project of sub-component 3.2: Local content, economic integration and community development of the Support Project for Strengthening Land and Mines Management (PARGFM), which aims to increase opportunities for entrepreneurship and socio-economic empowerment of young people and women.

Source: Burkina Information Agency