Tracking Development - Rio Tinto - Qit Madagascar Minerals

executive summary
direct discourse, public consultations were widely held with
interested and affected parties at the local, regional, national
and international level beginning in 1998. Recognising
sustainable socioeconomic and environmental benefits
could flow from QMM investment only if it was part of a
long-term regional development strategy, the project was
designed to function as part of a multi-partnership effort
involving government officials, civil society organisations,
international donor agencies and the private sector. Special
attention was paid to integrating the project in a regional
development context. QMM sponsored a far-reaching Plan
de Développement Régional (PDR, or Regional Development
Plan) and the Comité Régional de Développement (CRD,
or Regional Development Committee) was formed to lead
the planning process. Alliances were forged with key actors
working in the region, including the United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) and the World Bank.
(see The Exploration & study Phase, p. 12-23.)
In late 2006, the project entered its initial construction
phase at the first mining site of Mandena. The first and
single largest industrial development project ever carried
out in Madagascar, investment totalled US$931 million, with
US$675 million going towards mining infrastructures and
US$256 million towards the establishment of the new Port
of Ehoala. The construction phase spanned three years and
brought about rapid and drastic change to the Anosy region.
An unprecedented level of economic activity was generated,
directly creating approximately 4,500 jobs, while indirectly
inducing up to three times as many jobs. The sudden
intensity in economic activity also caused inflation, especially
evident in the price of housing and food commodities,
which in turn impacted most heavily on the very poor.
Measures were taken to mitigate impacts, including the
supply management of rice, Madagascar’s staple crop, and
price monitoring of other major commodities. Additionally,
mass sensitisation and awareness campaigns were organised
to convey prevention messages about HIV/AIDS. As some
of the infrastructures necessitated the resettlement of local
communities, a programme benefiting Persons Affected by
the Project (PAPs) was implemented focusing on livelihood
restoration and development. (See The Construction
Phase, p. 24-33.)
QMM’s investments are those of a socially responsible
enterprise. Numerous initiatives encompassing health,
education, economic empowerment, good governance,
sustainable development and natural resource management
are currently being carried out.
Whether at the workplace or in the communities with
which QMM is involved, activities involving health promotion
are of paramount importance to the company. The fight
against HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections
(STIs) has been a cornerstone of QMM’s interventions in
the Fort Dauphin area. Condoms, as well as Information,
Education and Communication (IEC) materials, are always
readily accessible and available to employees across all sites.
Wellness campaigns, in which volunteer peer educators
sensitise target populations on key health issues such as
HIV, STIs, malaria and diarrhoeal diseases, while distributing
condoms, chlorine solution (Sur Eau) and mosquito nets,
are frequently sponsored by QMM. Water wells and health
centres have been installed and constructed in communities
previously without these basic facilities. Acknowledging the
importance of maternal and child health, QMM finances a
mother and child health programme and is an active partner
with the Ministry of Health in the biannual and nationwide
Mother and Child Health Week. (See The Production
Phase, Supporting a Healthy Community, p. 36-37.)
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