Mahera extracts nearly 50,000 cubic metres of sand a year
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Cocorioko
Nearly 50,000 cubic metres of sand are extracted each year from Mahera beach in Sierra Leone, weakening the coastline and harming local tourism. The trade supports women sellers, including Aminata Kargbo, but its economic and environmental consequences weigh on coastal communities, Cocorioko reports.
Aminata Kargbo, president of the Mahera sand sellers’ association, supervises around 19 traders, most of them women. She began this work after her husband’s death to provide for her seven children. The trade grew from an initial group of 14 women seeking a way to support their families.
