In Africa, the terms small-scale mining and artisanal small-scale mining are often used interchangeably, usually accompanied by a portrait of an impoverished miner knee-high in mud, scrabbling through dirt with a spade in search of riches. With that portrait hanging…

The famous saying “if it can’t be grown, you have to mine it” perfectly illustrates the importance of farming and mining to humankind. Yet mining, considered the backbone of Namibia’s economy, remains one of the most (literally) under-explored sectors despite…