A Framework to Leverage Mining-related Infrastructure

With a grant from the Australian Government, CCSI has developed an economically, legally and operationally rational framework to enable shared use of mining-related infrastructure, including rail, ports, power, water, internet and telecommunications. The framework was obtained by distilling best practice principles from infrastructure developments around the world, guided by expert opinion. The framework is designed to provide guidance to policy makers on how to approach the question of shared use, highlighting the operational models that are necessary for implementation, the key-success factors, the enabling conditions and how to ultimately better coordinate major investments in physical infrastructure by privately-owned natural resource concessionaires with national infrastructure development plans. The framework also equips policy makers with a set of questions that should help conduct the negotiations on shared use with companies. The ultimate goal of the framework is to include shared infrastructure use as part of the planning and negotiation stages of extractive industry investments. The framework was refined through in‐depth case studies in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Mozambique, although its principles aim to be of general relevance to all resource rich African countries. The Framework to Approach Shared-Use of Mining Related Infrastructure was finalized in March 2014.

CCSI also presented the findings to an expert workshop. Those presentations can support trainings on the topic and are available here: introductory slides, power, internet and telecommunications, rail and ports, and water.

CCSI’s broader research on the shared use of mining-related infrastructure is available here.