RMI’s Program in Madagascar

Mica mining in Madagascar

In Madagascar, mica is primarily mined in the southern regions of Anosy, Ihorombe, and Androy – areas among the poorest in the country. As in Bihar and Jharkhand in India, communities face extreme poverty, isolation, insecurity, and limited access to education and healthcare, while a poorly enforced legal framework creates instability across the sector. These conditions contribute to persistent social and economic issues, including child labor, unsafe working conditions, dependence on mica mining for income, and minimal access to government services.

A Region Under Pressure from Climate Change

Southern Madagascar is severely affected by climate shocks, especially the prolonged drought, which has devastated agriculture – the primary livelihood for many families. With declining crop yields and very low prices paid for mica, households face shrinking incomes and rising vulnerability. Because mica collection remains largely informal, most volumes are exported at low value, limiting economic benefits for local communities and increasing the risk of human rights violations.

RMI key achievements in Madagascar in 2025

Mica CRAFT Code standard launched

MoUs signed with 5 mining sites, fostering collaboration and framing the respective efforts to be implemented to improve working conditions

Technical training courses conducted to support minors in OHS at five sites

Collective training sessions organized on Social and OHS (Occupational Health & Safety) components of the Global Workplace Standard for mica processors

Minors empowered within the 6 mining groups supported for the implementation of the Mica CRAFT Code

Minors trained on Association Management, and 63 miners trained on the basics of mine retaining, Occupational Health & Safety, and first aid

Minors actively involved in the development and implementation of 5 risk mitigation plans

new team members joined RMI, strengthening RMI’s intervention and support to Malagasy stakeholders

Mica processors assessed against workplace standard and supported in standard implementation

Civil society organizations identified to implement activities related to education access for children, literacy programs for miners, and child labor prevention strategies in 5 villages

Mining sites supported in their formalization process, paving the way for more to come

Expert Insights from the Responsible Mica Initiative

Testimony from Marine Gourvès, Country Manager for Madagascar at the Responsible Mica Initiative

Marine Gourvès

The RMI program in Madagascar faces significant challenges, unexpected events, and promising opportunities – yet is already delivering concrete, positive results.

Key challenges include:

Informal mica extraction conducted in indecent conditions, with very low incomes and widespread child labor.

Poor governance in the mining sector, characterized by the use of copies of administrative documents by informal actors in the supply chain that complexify traceability, by informal taxes imposed by certain authorities, and by the absence of the issuance of mining permits since 2011.

A steady decline in mica export prices over the past decade, deepening poverty in mining communities and limiting the capacity of businesses to adopt responsible practices.

Infrastructure gaps – few schools, health centers, roads, or utilities – and limited state capacity. For instance, mining authorities have a single vehicle to cover an area larger than Denmark (Anosy and Androy regions), and the Ministry of labor lack transportation to monitor child labor at mining sites.

Informal mica extraction conducted in indecent conditions, with very low incomes and widespread child labor.

Poor governance in the mining sector, characterized by the use of copies of administrative documents by informal actors in the supply chain that complexify traceability, by informal taxes imposed by certain authorities, and by the absence of the issuance of mining permits since 2011.

A steady decline in mica export prices over the past decade, deepening poverty in mining communities and limiting the capacity of businesses to adopt responsible practices.

Infrastructure gaps – few schools, health centers, roads, or utilities – and limited state capacity. For instance, mining authorities have a single vehicle to cover an area larger than Denmark (Anosy and Androy regions), and the Ministry of labor lack transportation to monitor child labor at mining sites.

Yet, opportunities are growing, and RMI’s work is strongly supported by local authorities and economic actors. Since October 2023, RMI has expanded its strategy and launched a pilot project across five artisanal mica mining sites, implementing concrete child-labor prevention measures such as school construction, education and literacy programs. Borehole construction has also provided safe drinking water, reducing exposure to waterborne diseases.

Eight mica exporters sourcing from Madagascar have joined RMI, committing to implementing responsible practices in their sorting facilities and supply chains. They are trained on international standards (GWS and Mica CRAFT) and regularly supported by our team to formalize commercial relationships, establish worker contracts, and comply with Malagasy law. At the end of 2025, RMI facilitated external audits of their sorting sites to assess compliance and guide ongoing improvements.

In the months ahead, RMI aims to scale its impact, reach more villages, bring additional exporters on board, and work toward establishing a living wage across supported supply chains – an ambitious program powered by our extremely dedicated field team and implementing partners.

Our Approach

Our impact

Our standards