03 · Advisory for Large-Scale Mining & Exploration Companies
Large-scale concessions in Sub-Saharan Africa rarely sit in isolation from artisanal mining, and exploration, including the current wave of exploration chasing cobalt, lithium, copper and other transition minerals, rarely starts on genuinely empty ground. We support both ends of that timeline.
What this covers
For exploration-stage companies: land search and ground assessment that accounts for existing artisanal activity, customary land claims and community presence before a concession boundary is drawn.
For operating concessions: mapping artisanal mining activity in and around the site, assessing the safety, legal and reputational exposure it creates, and designing coexistence or formalisation pathways that reduce conflict at its source. Community relations work where an LSM operation and ASM livelihoods overlap, and incident response support when that relationship has already broken down and needs to be rebuilt.
How we work
We operate our own ASM site, which gives us credibility on both sides of this relationship: artisanal miners recognise us as fellow practitioners, and LSM operators get advice grounded in how an ASM operation actually functions day to day.
Recommendations are built around what a concession can realistically implement and sustain, given its existing security, community relations and compliance structures.