About Orivia
Orivia started as a pioneering initiative in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). It has grown into something broader: an operator and advisor working across the full minerals supply chain, from artisanal to mid-size and large-scale, in frontier markets, with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa.
Where We Started
Orivia began by operating its own artisanal and small-scale mining site, driven by a commitment to sustainability, ethics and responsible sourcing. Running that operation, day to day, taught us what the sector’s standards actually require on the ground, beyond what appears on paper.
A Mandate That Grew With the Sector
As our own operation matured, other parts of the sector started asking for the same rigour we apply to ourselves. That advisory side of Orivia has since grown to cover:
- Artisanal & small-scale miners seeking a practical path toward formalisation and responsible sourcing readiness.
- Large-scale mining and exploration companies operating alongside or acquiring ASM sites, or searching for land in the first place, who need to understand and manage that interface responsibly.
- Project developers who need a full project proposal built, from land access through bringing local and international stakeholders to the same table.
- Investors assessing capital deployment into ASM-adjacent projects and frontier-market mining assets.
- Buyers and traders needing verifiable, defensible answers about where a mineral actually came from, including sourcing mandates in the gold and diamond trade.
All of it is grounded in Sub-Saharan Africa and other frontier markets, where the gap between informal practice and formal market expectations is widest, and where the advisory work matters most.
The Sector by the Numbers
ASM is often treated as a footnote to formal, large-scale mining. The numbers say otherwise. Figures below are the most widely cited estimates; ranges reflect genuine disagreement between sources.
people work directly in ASM across roughly 80 countries, the largest mining workforce of any kind (World Bank & Pact, 2023 State of the ASM Sector).
estimated annual value of ASM gold output alone, before diamonds and other minerals are even counted (industry and academic estimates, early-to-mid 2020s).
of global gold production and a similar share of global diamond production is estimated to come from ASM (World Gold Council; World Diamond Council; GIA).
tonnes of gold mined worldwide in 2024, a record high. ASM accounts for a meaningful share of that total on its own (World Gold Council).
Mining statistics shift year to year and vary by source. Treat these as directional, and check current figures before quoting them externally.
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