Community partnerships in the mining sector: lessons from Kenya
The rush for critical minerals to power the green energy transition has put fragile regions in the spotlight. The production of minerals such as cobalt, lithium, rutile, ilmenite and zircon – essential for batteries, electronics and aerospace components – is concentrated in a small number of countries, many of which are plagued by security issues and other political risks. These fragile and conflict affected settings (FCAS) are often characterised by weak governance, simmering tensions, and the systematic marginalisation of local communities.
Mining here isn’t just about extraction; it is a test of whether companies can be partners rather than disruptors.
In International Alert’s experience, community partnerships are a core strategy for conflict-sensitive and sustainable mining. Commercial success and local peacebuilding are mutually reinforcing, with both companies and communities benefitting from an approach that supports local development and upholds human rights. Community partnerships have helped mining companies and their investors navigate complex environments, avoid roadblocks, increase predictability and achieve commercial growth.
This blog, drawing from International Alert’s long-standing work at the intersection of business, human rights and peacebuilding, explores the work of Base Titanium, a leading mineral sands mining operation on the Kenyan coast, and offers a blueprint for getting it right.
When the company took over the Kwale operations in 2013, mining operations in the region had been beset by marginalisation of local people and complex land issues. It faced deep-rooted mistrust from communities burned by previous operators.
Through genuine partnership, not just corporate social responsibility (CSR) checklists or top-down communication, the company turned mining into a driver of stability rather than conflict.
When companies treat communities as true partners, the benefits go both ways.
Why community partnership matters
Mining disrupts. It changes landscapes, displaces people, and alters livelihoods. When companies fail to engage communities meaningfully, the fallout is predictable: protests, court battles, and costly delays.
Traditional corporate social responsibility often makes things worse. Without careful consultation with local communities, even companies sponsoring essential infrastructure like schools and clinics can cause issues. In fragile regions, this approach ignores underlying tensions: land disputes, ethnic divisions, and environmental fears that can explode if mishandled.
But when companies treat communities as true partners, the benefits go both ways. Trust replaces suspicion. Projects face fewer delays and can leave behind skills, infrastructure, and opportunities that outlast the mine itself.
Base Titanium’s approach to community partnership
Base Titanium’s predecessor left a bitter legacy. Land disputes, inadequate compensation, and environmental concerns made locals view mining as a threat. The company had to rebuild trust from scratch.
The mine at Kwale went on to run profitably for over ten years, generate significant local employment and investment, and avoid any major eruption of community tensions typical of fragile, resource-rich regions. This success came from intentional choices that balance profit with social responsibility, presenting significant lessons for how other mining operations can achieve similar results in fragile and conflict-affected settings.
Base Titanium’s story proves mining in fragile and conflict-affected regions can not only avoid fuelling conflict, but promote social cohesion.
Lesson 1: Conflict analysis is not optional
Companies must understand the local landscape beyond geology before breaking ground. In Kwale, historical land disputes and environmental concerns had already created deep mistrust. Base Titanium worked with local civil society to identify these tensions and build goodwill from the start.
Companies can partner with local civil society, who understand the context, to conduct conflict mapping. It can also provide training for its staff on conflict-sensitive approaches to avoid exacerbating existing tensions or creating new ones.
Lesson 2: Move from CSR to shared power
Traditional CSR often doesn’t work because of its top-down approach. Shared power, on the other hand, builds ownership. When people have a stake in success, they protect it. Base wanted to move from handouts to true collaboration. Communities co-designed benefit-sharing models, ensuring that projects matched their real priorities and needs.
Instead of one-off consultations, the company established local committees where community members could voice their concerns and shape decisions. These were not just forums for airing grievances; they had real influence. Complaints were tracked, addressed, and reported back promptly and transparently.
Companies can take steps to create joint decision-making structures and let communities lead in proposing and prioritising local needs within the scope of the project. They can invest in long-term skills instead of short-term hand-outs.
Lesson 3: Transparency is cheaper than conflict
Misinformation fuels conflict. Where large-scale operations intersect with local conflict dynamics, rumours can spread fast.
Base Titanium prioritised transparency to build trust with the local community. It opened a community information centre to provide real-time updates on mining operations as requested by the locals.
The company also organised site tours for locals and visitors to facilitate learning. In June 2024, for instance, the company hosted communities impacted by mining and renewable energy projects in Marsabit, northern Kenya to share lessons on community-company collaboration.
It is important that a company counters misinformation by making operations as transparent and accountable as possible. Proactive transparency measures build trust and are far less costly than managing the fallout from misinformation.
Lesson 4: Plan your exit before you enter
It is not unusual for mines to leave behind ghost towns and villages with dilapidated infrastructure. Communities would not be resistant to mining operations if they knew that there is an exit plan in place that considers the long-term wellbeing of communities. Too many mines, however, often leave behind joblessness and poisoned land, as the local economy collapses once the primary employer and investor departs.
Base Titanium planned for its closure from the outset. The company clearly defined and communicated which responsibilities belonged to the company and which belonged to the government. Base worked with farmers to trial crop farming on the rehabilitated land. This approach shows the added value from creating plans to support closure in the first year, not the last. Investment in transferable skills, such as agriculture, is also key.
Before closing operations, Base Titanium collaborated with local communities in Kwale on land use plans post-mining. The mined land was rehabilitated into farms and forests, and the Mukurumudzi Dam now supplies water to the community.
Lesson 5: Global standards are a starting point
Frameworks such as the OECD guidelines and the EU directive on corporate sustainability due diligence provide a baseline, but real success comes from local adaptation. Grievance handling and land use practices should adapt to the local contexts.
Companies can benchmark against global best practices, but then come back to consult communities on required adjustments that suit the local environment. In our experience, we’ve seen first-hand how indigenous knowledge on issues such as sustainable land use can complement technical expertise on mining.
Mining can be a stepping stone towards a prosperous and self-reliant future.
Beyond extraction
Base Titanium’s story proves mining in fragile and conflict-affected regions can not only avoid fuelling conflict, but promote social cohesion. The biggest difference? Treating communities as partners, instead of obstacles.
For companies, quick fixes cost more than long-term engagement. For governments and investors, the lesson is accountability, where companies that do right by communities are rewarded. For locals, Base Titanium’s Kwale operations show that with the right safeguards, mining can be a stepping stone towards a prosperous and self-reliant future, not a setback.
The green transition needs minerals. But it doesn’t have to sacrifice community rights and well-being to get them.
Dorina Prech is project manager for Alert’s Horn of Africa programme. She has extensive experience working with and advising businesses and companies on human rights, due diligence and ethical practices with local communities.
