which include; safety and environment management, mining legislation, efficient mining techniques, mercury abatement, child labour, gender equality and mining and financial literacy. These pilot interventions were in response to a growing concern that one of the several key challenges to the formalization of the sector is the low skill levels within the sector. An estimated 70 per cent of the miners in ASM are said to be unskilled.
To ensure trainings are replicable and sustainable beyond the life of ZAAMP, and to build the capacity of local organizations to conduct similar trainings, Pact Zimbabwe consolidated training materials into a Training Handbook. Pact coordinated the development of training manual together with other stakeholders with a keen interest on artisanal and small scale gold mining (ASGM). We acknowledge the assistance of all stakeholders listed in the acknowledgements with special mention of the parent Ministry of Mines and Mining Development. The handbook doubles up as both a facilitator’s guide and manual which the miners can easily refer to. The handbook is a vital tool towards equipping the estimated 500,000 artisanal and small-scale miners with fundamental knowledge on key mining topics. We sincerely hope the handbook will go a long way in professionalising the mining sector.