Mozambique has more than 2,000 arsenal mining sites according to the Census of Artisanal Miners, the results of which have just been released by the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy (MIREME), in coordination with the National Statistics Institute (INE).

The data cited by Notícias online shows that of the total number of hotspots identified, 1,577 are active, of which 31% are dedicated to gold mining.

In 2021, artisanal mining involved 806,957 people, corresponding to 2.6% of the country's population. Three-quarters of miners have their main source of income in this activity, most of whom are men (88.3 percent) and of whom (68 percent) are young people aged 15-34.

The results cited by the portal also revealed that 53% of artisanal miners are self-employed, more than 50% are dedicated to gold mining and around 30% to construction materials (stone, sand and clay).

The Artisanal Mining Census was launched in August 2021 and is the result of the government's recognition of the role of this segment of mining activity, which has been practiced in Mozambique since the end of the 12th century.