In accordance with the resolution on arrangements taken by the Plenipotentiary Conference in Kumamoto in October 2013, sub-regional workshops for Francophone Africa in support for the ratification and early implementation of the Minamata Convention on Mercury ended in Dakar on 16 July. Two workshops were held, from 9 to 11 July and from 14 to 16 July 2014. The participating countries to the workshops were:
- First Workshop (9 to 11 July): Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Gabon, Madagascar, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe.
- Second Workshop (14 to 16 July): Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ivory Coast, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia.
The workshops, organized by the Stockholm Convention Regional Centre in Senegal, were hosted at the Ngor Diarama Hotel and covered six main topics:
- Emissions and releases ;
- Artisanal and Small-scale Gold Mining (ASGM) ;
- Supply sources, trade and storage ;
- Waste and contaminated sites ;
- Mercury-added products and manufacturing processes in which mercury is used ;
- Health aspects.
These sessions were an opportunity for the attending countries and organizations to learn from each other and show the different aspects of their work related to mercury, either in terms of policies and technical solutions, or in terms of experience acquired. ASGM benefited from specific attention as gold mining is a major source of mercury contamination and is extensive in some of the participating countries.
Among the challenges addressed by the workshops, attention was given to mobilization of resource for implementation as well as suitable local approaches in order to manage the economic and political constraints. The presentation of national roadmaps on the ratification and implementation of the Convention by each participating country concluded the workshops as a key outcome. This set out the measures to be taken at a national level to move towards ratification and implementation.
Workshops for Francophone Africa also offered a chance to the attending countries to enhance their collaboration on environmental issues and promote more communication.