Research and advocacy organization, Third World Network Africa is to host a civil society networks conference on the Africa Mining Vision (AMV) which promotes improvements in mining regimes. The conference, which will be held from 26th – 29th June, 2012 at the Mensvic Grand Hotel in Accra, will bring together representatives of African civil society coalitions and social constituencies from labour movements, mining affected community groups, artisanal and small scale mining orgainsations, gender groups, the media as well as policy makers. The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mike Hammer is expected to open the conference at 9am on Tuesday. Among other things, the conference aims at facilitating and deepening understanding of the processes and substantive content of the mining reform agenda, especially in relation to the AMV, its action plan and the International Study Group (ISG) report – which deepens analysis of key tenets of the AMV and from which the action plan draws content. The meeting is also expected to generate common understanding about opportunities and challenges around the African mining reform agenda, and to make inputs and contributions to the Business Plan of the African Development Centre (AMDC) – the coordinating centre for the implementation of decisions towards the realization of the AMV. Other issues of importance to be covered will include; managing and protecting community livelihoods, human rights and the environment in mining communities, decent work and equitable incomes in the mining industry, challenges of the changing public policy and transformation of the labour regimes within large scale mining. It would also cover issues related to the Artisanal Small Scale Mining Public Policy and local enterprise development, mineral commodity dependence and development challenges; fiscal policies and the transformation of mineral economy, the economic and political issues of linkages and diversification of the mineral economy, delivery on the reforms and building synergies for transformation. The conference is expected to conclude with an adoption of a common position for advocacy on the reform agenda as well as a set of recommendations for improving the effective functioning and of the Business Plan of the Africa Minerals Development Centre.