ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme Tender in Fiji - 22118572

Concept NoteSmall Grants activity focused on capacity building and promotion of Enterprise skills, market analysis, investment promotion and value addition in the Development Minerals sector, Fiji Project Background and ObjectivesThe ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme is a three-year, €13.1 million capacity building program that aims to build the profile, and improve the management, of Development Minerals[1] (industrial minerals; construction materials; dimension stones; and semi-precious stones). The program is an initiative of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States, financed by the European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and implemented by UNDP. The mining of Development Mineralshas important implications for sustainable development, however, they have not received adequate attention for their potential to impact livelihoods; and few development programmes have provided support for this mining sub-sector. Often referred to as Low Value Minerals and Materials (LVMM) due to their low price as a function of their weight, and their relatively lowvalue to international commodity markets, Development Minerals provide crucial inputs for domestic economic development (infrastructure, manufacturing, construction and agriculture to name a few) and have the potential to be high value in terms of national development. In comparison to the metals sector, Development Minerals have closer links with the local economy, and have the potential to generate more local jobs, with a greater impact on poverty reduction. This is partly because the sector is dominated by small and medium scale domestic businesses.Income generated from this sector often remains unrealized or under-realized. This is in part due to the uncertain laws and policies in which the sector operates and the lack of publicly available and easily accessible geological data, which worsens wasteful exploration and discourages investment in the sector. Furthermore, there...