AMAP in Action: From Advocacy to Implementation in Zimbabwe’s Mining Sector

In February 2025, during the Alternative Mining Indaba (AMI) in Cape Town, the Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW) launched the Africa Mining Accountability Platform (AMAP)—a digital tool designed to track ESG performance, document community grievances, and transform mining accountability across the continent. This marked a turning point in how mining transparency and justice are pursued in Africa.

From Concept to Practice: The Sweden-Zimbabwe Mining Expo

In March 2025, AMAP moved from concept to practice. At the Sweden-Zimbabwe Sustainability in Mining Expo, SARW demonstrated how the platform works in real-world contexts, emphasizing its adaptability to local realities.

Laying the Groundwork: Listening First

Before the Expo, SARW carried out targeted community engagement in Mutoko and other mining regions. Several recurring concerns shaped AMAP’s development:

Limited transparency in corporate ownership
Local liaisons acting as gatekeepers rather than bridges
Weak enforcement of ESG commitments
Institutions functioning as both referee and player

These were not theoretical issues—they were daily realities. They directly informed features like offline reporting, making AMAP accessible even in areas with poor connectivity.

More Than a Platform: A Shared Infrastructure

At the Expo, AMAP was introduced not as a replacement for existing systems but as a complementary infrastructure—something communities, regulators, and companies could all use. That framing resonated.

During the Sweden-Zimbabwe Mining Dialogue, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Mines, Hon. Winston Chitando, personally engaged with the platform and invited SARW—alongside the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)—to present AMAP at the May 2025 Chamber of Mines meeting. The message was clear: AMAP is being taken seriously.

Cross-Border Momentum

Interest in AMAP quickly expanded beyond Zimbabwe. Delegates from South Africa, Zambia, and the DRC saw its potential for adaptation to their own governance frameworks. SARW emphasized that AMAP is not one-size-fits-all—it’s a tool meant to be co-created, aligning with each country’s legal and political context.

This approach aligns with broader initiatives like the African Green Minerals Sustainability Atlas and frameworks such as the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area. As demand for critical minerals grows, so does the need for tools like AMAP.

Next Steps: AMAP Training Rollout (Mid-2025)

To sustain momentum, SARW will roll out AMAP training across Zimbabwe starting mid-2025. In collaboration with local partners, these sessions will include:

Using rights-based grievance frameworks
Technical onboarding for AMAP, including offline functionality
Identifying gaps in community–company–regulator interactions
Engagement strategies for regulators like EMA and the Ministry of Mines

Co-Creation Over Confrontation

While AMAP was well-received at the Expo, SARW understands that true adoption will take time and dialogue—especially with industry actors. The goal is not conflict, but collaborative governance: building systems that expose silences and require participation.

This is how SARW envisions accountability in mining—rooted in justice, driven by data, and owned by everyone.

Watch: AMAP Introduced at the Expo

In conversation with Hon. Winston Chitando and Camilla Mellander, Director at Sweden’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Monica M. Mbugua, SARW Project Lead, introduces AMAP and explains how it’s more than a compliance tool.

It’s shared infrastructure that brings companies, regulators, and communities to the same table—Rooted in bottom-up accountability and informed by real community grievances AMAP also provides oversight to support transparency, ESG alignment, and inclusive governance, where top-down and bottom-up perspectives converge.

Install AMAP