SARW Launches AMAP

A New Era for Mining Transparency is Here!

The extractives industry can no longer operate in darkness. With AMAP, transparency is not just an aspiration; it is a demand.” – Deprose Muchena SARW Board Member.

On February 2, 2025, on the eve of the Alternative Mining Indaba in Cape Town, we officially launched the Africa Mining Accountability Platform (AMAP)—a pioneering digital tool designed to track the sustainability performance of mining companies, provide real-time community reporting, enhance transparency, empower mining communities, and hold corporations and governments accountable for their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments.

At the launch, industry leaders, government officials, and civil society representatives gathered to discuss AMAP’s role in transforming mining accountability across Africa. Dr. Claude Kabemba, Executive Director of SARW, set the tone with a powerful declaration:

We are shifting power back to the people. Communities impacted by mining now have a tool to voice their grievances and ensure their rights are upheld.”

Why AMAP?

For too long, mining communities have been left out of decision-making while human rights abuses, environmental damage, and corporate opacity continue to plague the mining sector. Even with current ESG frameworks, affected communities frequently do not have access to justice despite bearing the brunt of environmental and social impacts.

AMAP seeks to address this by:

Live Community Reporting:

• Providing real-time reporting tools for communities to voice concerns and grievances. Local communities can now report violations directly through the platform, enabling real-time documentation of environmental and human rights abuses

Corporate Accountability Metrics:

• Tracking corporate and government commitments to ethical mining practices.
• Showcasing responsible mining models that set new industry benchmarks.
• Encouraging trust and collaboration through transparent data-sharing.
• Utilizing a data-driven ESG scoring system that measures corporate compliance against global sustainability standards like GRI 14 and IFC Performance Standards.

The AMAP launch featured:

• Keynote addresses from policymakers, industry leaders, and civil society representatives.
• A live demonstration of AMAP’s functionalities.
• Discussions on strengthening community engagement in mining governance.

In his address, Executive Director Dr. Claude Kabemba emphasized the importance of accountability:

If we don’t monitor the impact of mining operations, especially in the era of critical minerals demand due to the energy transition, we will not achieve justice and equity. This is why we are putting in the hands of mining communities and general public a tool that allows them to hold corporations and governments accountable. Real change happens when the affected communities themselves take control of their future through action and amplified voices via tools like AMAP.”

Governments, Industry, and Civil Society Weigh-In

Choolwe Chadukwa – Department of Cadastre | Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development – ZAMBIA

In a huge endorsement of AMAP, the Zambian Government representative at launch welcomed the platform as innovative. Mr Choolwe Chadukwa expressed Zambia’s interest to explore ways of integrating AMAP into national mining policy reforms.

Several civil society groups welcomed the platform’s place in empowering communities with capabilities to report environmental, social and governance data in real time.

Mining industry leaders, while acknowledging AMAP’s potential, stressed the need for a collaborative approach to align the platform with existing corporate governance mechanisms.

We look forward to the AMAP platform providing real-time accountability to companies. But more importantly, the focus should not only be on mining companies but also on holding governments accountable. One of the challenges we face as a continent is the lack of accountability at that level. AMAP should help ensure that corporate governance frameworks are not just developed but enforced.” – Douglas Kitivu, GRI

How to Get Involved

With AMAP now live, the challenge shifts to implementation and enforcement. SARW is calling on:

• Communities to use AMAP’s reporting tools to document environmental and human rights violations, ensuring that their experiences and demands shape the future of responsible mining. By leveraging the platform, communities can drive corporate accountability and demand justice from both governments and mining companies.
• Mining companies to adopt AMAP’s transparency standards and actively engage with affected communities, ensuring that local voices play a central role in shaping responsible mining practices.
• Governments and policymakers to integrate AMAP’s data into regulatory frameworks, using it as a tool to enforce ESG compliance, strengthen oversight mechanisms, and ensure responsible resource governance.
• Civil society and human rights defenders to leverage AMAP’s reporting features to amplify advocacy efforts, expose violations, and push for corporate accountability.
• Journalists and media professionals to use AMAP’s data-driven insights to uncover hidden truths, report on mining injustices, and amplify the voices of affected communities, ensuring the public and decision-makers stay informed.

The Time for Transparency is Now

The future of mining in Africa must be built on justice, sustainability, and respect for human rights. For decades, mining-affected communities have been left in the dark, fighting an uphill battle against powerful corporations and opaque systems. With AMAP, the script is rewritten — transparency is no longer an option; it’s a demand. AMAP is our step toward that reality. For the first time, mining communities, journalists, policymakers, and activists have a direct line to the truth” – Monica M Mbugua Research and Policy Officer, SARW | Project Lead, AMAP

AMAP is more than an innovation—it’s a power shift.

Mining companies controlled the narrative, dictating what the world could see and what communities could say. That era is over. AMAP puts real-time reporting, corporate accountability, and verified data into the hands of those most affected, ensuring that no injustice goes unseen, and no violation goes unanswered.

We encourage communities, policymakers, civil society organizations, and industry stakeholders to explore AMAP and join the movement for mining accountability.