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Background

Background

Behind every influencing force, behind every life-changing event, there is an individual. The history of the SEMAFO Foundation is no exception to this rule. Behind SEMAFO and its foundation, there is a man. A man who turned this idea into a reality. A man who built bridges in places where it was once thought to be impossible. Were you to meet him, you would hear him say “Yes, … but I didn’t do this all by myself! My team should really get credit for all of this.”

 Benoit La Salle during the handing over of supplies in Burkina Faso

Yes, it is true, he is a humble man and his humility is a virtue. Nonetheless he must be recognized as he is a creator, someone who jumps in and undertakes what others think not to. This man is Mr. Benoit La Salle and the story of SEMAFO Foundation is closely tied to his empathy for humanity.

The SEMAFO Foundation was born from the activities tied to Mr. La Salle’s philanthropic vision, which he has instilled in his company. You need only to read below to see what SEMAFO accomplished prior to the creation of the foundation, to understand what a mining company can truly accomplish in West Africa. SEMAFO has been enacting these types of initiatives since its inception in 1995. It is time to forget the European clichés, of the Victorian era, of mining in Africa; that the sole reason for the existence of mining ventures on the continent is to rob the poor of their natural resources.

For Mr. La Salle, everything starts with a deep respect for human beings and the environment and a conscious understanding that it is because of them that it is possible for us to do our work. He is right in saying that we are guests in the countries that SEMAFO operates and is therefore insistent that over 95 % of the employees at the Mana (Burkina Faso), Samira Hill (Niger) and Kiniero (Guinea) mines are local workers.

Nothing changes unless we push for change

The Montreal-based Canadian company and its president have made it a point to meld its commercial operations with SEMAFO Foundation’s social activities in order to give Africans a better quality of life. For the skeptical readers, here are a few initiatives which SEMAFO and the Foundation have been responsible for in West Africa since 2008.

In Burkina Faso:

  • The rehabilitation of the Boromo-Sanafé and Kona main road 
  • The opening of access to fields for the village of Somona
  • The creation of an athletic field for the college in Oury
  • Contributions to the celebration of the Boromo Football Cup
  • Contributions to the Somona Village Fair
  • The inauguration of a Mosque in Dangouna
  • The administration of medical treatments to 810 patients at the health clinic
  • Access to training for local doctors by Valérie Thomas MD (ER specialist from Paris), with medical supplies acquired and delivered as a result


In Niger:

  • The support of family events
  • The building of schools, including the donation of school supplies and schoolbooks to five villages
  • The construction of a health center and a clinic where each year, over 12,000 patients get medical attention and treatments along with the purchase of 800 meningitis vaccines
  • The construction of roads
  • The Purchasing of 8 sewing machines, including the necessary material needed for a training programs for young women

In Guinea:

  • The donation of motorcycles and three spots for a pilgrimage to Mecca
  • The construction of the Kinieroa and Balan market
  • The digging and installation of a fresh water well
  • The creation of a Franco-Arabic school, including the delivery of 3,400 textbooks
  • The building of a health center which can attend to over 1,500 patients per year
  • The construction of a cultural center

This exhaustive list only serves to show the influence that the corporate citizen has on its surroundings. It is possible to be aware of the poverty of the people around us, despite being in a corporate domain.


It is only fitting that a businessman like Mr. La Salle, who has such a respect and love for the communities of West Africa, recognized the creation of the SEMAFO Foundation as the best way to continue with this immense social undertaking. The countries in which the foundation has pledged to work are among the poorest in the world, have illiteracy rates that border 80% and worse yet, infant mortality rates of 91 in Burkina Faso, 90 in Guinea and 118 in Niger (deaths/1000 live births).

Meeting the villagers in Bana, Burkina Faso Is there any doubt to the necessity of the foundation in West Africa? The foundation, far from a marketing ploy, is an essential outlet for anyone empathetic to the plight of the African people.. Created October 20, 2008, the foundation and its Director General, Chantal Guérin, continue the work started by Mr. La Salle, to bring a brighter future to the African communities and become the NGO of reference in West Africa.

Supporting local initiatives and improving quality of life, these goals are achievable only with the help of the Burkinabè, Nigeriens, Guineans and those of you who, like them, wish to fight against living conditions which are anything but human.