Reclaiming Governance: SARW at the Alternative Mining Indaba Steering Committee Strategy Retreat

Southern Africa Resource Watch (SARW) played a pivotal role at the AMI Steering Committee Strategy Retreat held in Pretoria, where civil society leaders, researchers, faith groups, and frontline organisers gathered to shape the 2026 agenda of the Alternative Mining Indaba (AMI).

Amid rising global tensions over extractives, debt, and climate risks, the retreat reaffirmed AMI’s position as a Pan-African civic infrastructure rooted in the realities of mining-affected communities. Emphasising restorative justice and feminist governance as guiding frameworks, SARW led critical sessions on power mapping, feminist communications, and narrative justice—drawing on its flagship initiatives, including the Africa Mining Accountability Platform (AMAP) and the Pamoja Green Minerals Alliance.

SARW’s Contribution: Power Mapping and Narrative Justice

SARW’s Monica Mbugua, Research and Policy Officer, co-facilitated sessions focused on:

• Increasing stakeholder visibility
• Strengthening feminist communications
• Advancing narrative accountability

Drawing on AMAP, Monica highlighted:

• The importance of community-led grievance verification in real time
• Ensuring local ownership of grievance redress systems
• Promoting media and storytelling that centre community authority rather than extract it

Retreat Highlights: From Reflection to Strategy

Day 1: Diagnosing Structural Gaps
Participants reviewed AMI’s recent achievements, including:

• The People’s Tribunal
• Elevated visibility for artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM)
• Strengthened gender justice frameworks

Challenges identified included:

• Lack of formal grievance mechanisms
• Ambiguity around partner onboarding and donor expectations
• Outdated Terms of Reference misaligned with grassroots ambitions

Planned reforms include:

• Transparent onboarding protocols
• Hybrid participation models for inclusivity
• Enhanced cross-node coordination

Day 2: Mapping Influence and Designing AMI 2026
Power mapping exercises identified underrepresented groups—youth, informal workers, faith networks, and landless women—as critical to AMI’s future. The committee co-designed the 2026 programme around four pillars:

• Climate reparations and land sovereignty
• Participatory procurement and formalisation of ASM
• Feminist energy governance
• Legal solidarity across extractive jurisdictions

SARW led the Communications and Visibility session, focusing on:

• Multilingual accessibility
• Community-led storytelling as an advocacy tool
• Linking media, policy, and community testimonies

Core Outcomes and Strategic Messages

• Grievance Redress Is Non-Negotiable: SARW will collaborate with AMI partners to raise awareness of tools like AMAP through webinars and knowledge sharing.
• Onboarding Must Be Transparent: New partners will follow clear, accountable protocols.
• Decolonising Resource Mobilisation: Fundraising will prioritise node-defined priorities over donor agendas.
• Representation Grounded in Practice: AMI’s future will be community-shaped, node-owned, continental yet local.
• Language Is Power: Communications will embed narrative sovereignty, centring women, informal actors, and indigenous knowledge.

Looking Ahead

A Strategic Roadmap for AMI 2026, reflecting retreat resolutions and ongoing consultations, will be released later this year, guiding AMI’s evolution as a continental platform for extractive sector justice and community accountability.