| IBRD and IDA have been instrumental in providing technical assistance (TA) countries in Latin America, Africa, and Eastern Europe, and Central Asia to help reform mining sectors. Ample evidence exists in Latin America and Africa to demonstrate that countries which adopt modern and attractive enabling environments can attract private sector investment in mining exploration and production. This, in turn, provides tax revenues, export earnings, employment possibilities, infrastructrure development in rural areas, and transfer of technology to the host countries.
While each technical assistance program may vary in size and scope they generally involve components :
- reforming mining legislation (mine code, implementing regulations, investment agreements);
- reforming mining taxation to internationally comparable standards;
- strengthening institutions through re-organizing government agencies responsible for supervision of the sector and training of public and private sector officials;
- creating of earth and environmental science database management systems;
- strengthening environmental protection legislation and government departments;
- putting into place mining title registries and land management systems;
- improving the technical, environmental and social conditions of small scale miners;
- privatizing state owned enterprises;
- providing funding for geological cartography, geochemistry and geophysical surveys, and remote sensing imagery.
In addition to direct lending activities, World Bank staff regularly provide advice to governments, organize conferences and seminars on mining themes of pertinence (environment, Small-Scale Mining, for example), and liase closely with IDA structural and sectoral adjustment activities. The International Finance Corporation provides equity investment in private sector mining developments and helps to arrange financing for mining ventures. Finally, the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency organizes investment conferences and provides advice on attracting private sector investment to many governments.
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