About half a million people are though to be involved in artisanal mining in the country,
Word of profitable mining sites travels quickly;
The work is dirty and dangerous,
Five minutes down the road from Mr Kowasaio’s village, hidden in the bush, former farmers are operating a bustling, ad hoc mining enterprise.
Mr Kowasio makes cash as a middle man between the miners, and foreign buyers.
and before long, a few tunnels evolve into a self-sufficient mining camp.
with open shafts just steps away from living quarters.
spread out over more than 150 sites.