The Echoes from AEFJN No. 30 - July August 2016 are now available online. 
Raw Materials Working Group News July 2013
- Advancing Due Diligence in the Mining Sector of Africa's Great Lakes Region
New measures of control on the field of supply chains of minerals, coming from conflict-affected and high-risk areas, seems to be relevant in the next coming years in Africa and Europe. The reflection about an European Union initiative on Transparency, along with the implementation of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance in the mining sector in Africa’s Great Lakes region, have been met with skepticism. Although the implementation of legal measures have provoked a difficult situation, especially on artisanal mining, companies working with minerals like tin, tantalum and tungsten, have moved from reluctance to progressive engagement.
2. EU To Probe Malabu Oil Deal
The European Union has started an investigation into the Malabu oil deal scandal. This follows a letter by extractive advocacy groups have written the Italian and the Netherlands governments urging them to an investigation. The letter noted that companies involved in questionable deal-making are not being held to account for their role in the loss of hundreds of millions of pounds of revenue to Nigeria, money that should be used for development.
3. The Distress of the local population around the Mobilong diamond project
The exploitation of natural resources in Cameroon continues to confirm the mineral potential of the country. The ratio of the explored surface is just 40% of the country. The mining in Cameroon is still at its early stage. For the national economy it could be a factor of growth and for the local economies of the mining sites, an opportunity for a development boom. However, these economic forecasts do not refute the many environmental impacts of which mining is a source (destruction of forest ecosystems, contamination of the soil, water and air, destruction of biodiversity, noise pollution, etc…).