Recent and ongoing projects

Mission:

In November 2019, WCS won the tender for blocks 1 and 2 of an open-pit iron ore mine in the Simandou mountain range of northeast Guinea. The Simandou site, covering an area of 362 km², is the world’s largest untapped reserve of high-quality iron ore, with over 1.8 billion tons of estimated reserves, and an iron content of over 65.5%.

WCS commissioned Insuco to carry out a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) in accordance with Guinean law and international standards (Equator Principles, IFC Performance Standards), for the mine area.

The first step was to develop a Stakeholder Engagement Plan (SEP) and a Social Baseline Study (SBS) of the project’s mining area. The SEP mission identified, through public consultations in the prefecture of Kerouane, all the stakeholders involved in the project (local and regional authorities, communities, civil society, etc.). The localities directly situated in the impact zone of the project were also identified and mapped.

Following the SEP, Insuco teams went to the field to conduct socio-economic surveys of a sample of households around the mine. Differentiating between urban and rural areas, an inventory of both the social and economic characteristics of household heads and members was drawn up on a series of themes: ethnic origin, health, level of education, income, professional activities, level of debt, etc. These surveys made it possible to elaborate a list of the most important characteristics of the households, as well as the SBS. Infrastructure, heritage, and cultural sites were also surveyed, and consultations were conducted to establish a typology of these sites and a classification of their level of importance.

Finally, based on these studies, a Social Impact Assessment was conducted, from consultations and individual interviews with local authorities, community representatives and population groups (including vulnerable populations and targeted groups – youth, women, elders, farmers, etc.). This made it possible to measure the impacts of the different components of the project on the population, and to propose associated mitigation measures. A social management plan was developed, with an implementation schedule and budget.

Results:

Insuco has submitted to the client:

• A Stakeholder Engagement Plan including: (i) a study methodology and the planning of consultations; (ii) an identification of relevant stakeholders according to their level of engagement; (iii) a brief communication plan adapted to each type of groups (local and regional authorities, communities, civil society, etc.); (iv) a detailed description of the entire consultation process and the conclusions reached; (v) a brief grievance management mechanism; (vi) Minutes of consultations; (vii) attendance lists for public consultations.
• A Social Baseline Study including: (i) an analysis of the socioeconomic situation of households; (ii) an analysis of the land dynamics in the study area; (iii) thematic maps of the location of villages and infrastructures; (iv) a mapping of cultural heritage sites; (v) a typology of cultural heritage sites and a classification according to their level of importance; (vi) an ecosystem services review.
• A Social Impact Assessment including: (i) a report detailing the impacts for each phase of the project; (ii) an impact matrix showing the impacts of the different components of the project on the population, as well as the associated mitigation measures; (iii) brief human rights impact assessment.
• The generic Social Management Plan for the project, that will include: (i) a timetable and budget for the implementation of mitigation measures; (ii) an identification of specific plans to be developed.