The European Union Mission in Sierra Leone and the German Embassy have expressed great appreciation for GIZ and the MRU Secretariat in their official statements made at the final Regional Monitoring Meeting of the Regional Approach to the Kimberly Process (KP) and Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in the Mano River Union project held at Bintumani Hotel in Freetown on 13– 14 September 2022.

“We want to warmly congratulate the four MRU countries and the MRU Secretariat for being regarded worldwide as a best practice case study and for having had the benefits of regional cooperation under the Kimberley Process recognized in several UN General Assembly resolutions on the role of diamonds in fueling conflict,” the German Embassy in Sierra Leone said in a statement at the event.

Speaking about their involvement in the implementation of the project, the Secretary-General of the Mano River Union, Ambassador Medina Wesseh Esq, said it was a great opportunity for the Mano River Union to participate in this project providing oversight within the scope of its mandate. She noted the significance of this project especially within the context of the great loss that countries in the MRU countries are facing in trying to get the best out of their natural resources.

The Regional Approach to the Kimberly Process and Artisanal and Small-scale Mining in the Mano River Union sought to support governments within the region to develop capacity from the regional, national, and local levels to ensure compliance to regulations that can prevent illicit trade in precious minerals, formalize the artisanal mining sector and enable local communities with minerals in their soils to benefit from the resource wealth.

“Over the last couple of years, the project has sought to enable countries to cooperate with each other and implement policies and regulations that will enhance mutual security and stability within the mining sector, making sure that countries get the revenue they need from their natural resources,” noted Mr. Ahmed Diallo, Programme Officer at the Mano River Union Secretariat.

The project was implemented in all the four countries within the MRU region, each country having its national workplan which was implemented with local civil society partners. So far, all the planned activities were executed as envisaged.

“We are thankful for GIZ and MRU’s support in this implementation. Due to this project, our people have been informed about the disadvantages and loss that they experience due to smuggling. They now realize how much they have been losing and are more than vigilant to ensure the regulations work,” Amadu Jalloh, Civil Society Activist from Guinea stated.

The project which was jointly funded by the European Union and the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation concluded its activities in September 2022.