MAG
MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is a UK-registered humanitarian charity, founded in 1989 and headquartered in Manchester, that finds and destroys landmines, cluster munitions, and unexploded ordnance in conflict-affected regions across 25 countries, serving displaced populations, conflict-affected communities, and national mine action authorities with clearance, risk education, and weapons management services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What MAG does
MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is a UK-registered humanitarian charity headquartered in Manchester that finds and destroys landmines, cluster munitions, and unexploded ordnance in conflict-affected regions, alongside delivering Explosive Ordnance Risk Education, weapons and ammunition management, and community liaison services. Founded in 1989, the organisation operates in 25 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Europe, employing approximately 5,077 staff from 68 nationalities, and has helped over 20 million people across 70 countries cumulatively. MAG is described as the biggest humanitarian demining organisation in the wider Middle East and has run continuous Syria operations since 2016.
MAG's service delivery combines manual demining by trained operators, mechanical clearance assets including MineWolf, Digger D-250, PT300, and Zmiy machines, and animal-assisted detection using mine detection dogs and, more recently, APOPO-deployed Technical Survey Dogs. Community liaison, a methodology MAG pioneered in the late 1990s and which is now integral to global mine action, is used to identify contamination and prioritise clearance. Digital Explosive Ordnance Risk Education is delivered at scale via a first-of-kind partnership with Facebook reaching 9.5 million people in Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia, and Vietnam, alongside in-person sessions, puppet shows, and radio programming.
MAG's revenue model is institutional donor funding, with approximately 97% of its approximately £80 million annual turnover coming from institutional donors including the US Department of State, European Commission, Norwegian MFA, German GFFO, Government of Canada, Netherlands MFA, and other foreign aid agencies. The remaining approximately 3% comes from individual charitable donations, corporate partnerships, and merchandise sales via JustGiving and Teemill. Operations are initiated through invitations from national governments and mine action authorities such as ANAMA in Azerbaijan, and the organisation maintains direct country offices in Ukraine, Syria, Guinea, Ecuador, and a US sister entity (MAG US) in Washington DC.
MAG firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MAG
- Legal name
- Mines Advisory Group
- Website
- https://maginternational.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is a UK-registered humanitarian charity, founded in 1989 and headquartered in Manchester, that finds and destroys landmines, cluster munitions, and unexploded ordnance in conflict-affected regions across 25 countries, serving displaced populations, conflict-affected communities, and national mine action authorities with clearance, risk education, and weapons management services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MAG industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Humanitarian Demining Services
- NAICS
- Remediation Services (56291)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mine Action & Explosive Ordnance Risk Reduction (EOD/ERW) (BPADAFAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Mine Action & Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE) (BPADADAM), Disaster Response & Search and Rescue (SAR) (BPADADAA)
Keywords
Where MAG is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices7 records
Markets served
MAG business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Institutional Donor Funding: MAG receives approximately 97% of funding from institutional donors including governments (US, Canada, EU member states, Japan, Norway, Germany, Netherlands, Australia, etc.) and international organizations. This is the primary revenue stream supporting demining operations worldwide.
- Individual Charitable Donations: Individual donors contribute through one-time donations, monthly gifts, fundraising events (marathons, cake sales), legacy bequests, and online store purchases. MAG operates a JustGiving page and Teemill online store for supporter engagement.
- Corporate Partnerships: Corporate organizations partner with MAG through sponsorship arrangements, cause-related marketing, and employee giving programs to support humanitarian demining activities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Monthly | Individual supporter donations |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
MAG product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is a UK-registered charitable company that finds and destroys landmines, cluster munitions and unexploded bombs in places affected by conflict, and delivers Explosive Ordnance Risk Education to at-risk communities. It also runs Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) programmes that help governments safely manage and destroy weapons and ammunition, supported by community liaison teams that pioneer contaminated-area assessment. Operations are funded primarily by institutional donor grants (approximately 97% of an ~£80 million annual turnover) with the remainder from individual and corporate charitable giving.
Product overview
MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is a humanitarian organization, NOT a technology product company. MAG operates as a unified service organization offering landmine and cluster bomb clearance services, Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (delivered both in-person and digitally), Weapons and Ammunition Management programs, and Community Liaison support. MAG's core offering is humanitarian demining field services - they do not offer a SaaS platform, software product, or API. Their 'products' are operational programs and services delivered by field teams in conflict-affected countries worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Landmine and Cluster Bomb Clearance Services Detection and destruction of landmines, cluster munitions, unexploded bombs and improvised explosive devices in conflict-affected countries, delivered by manual demining teams, mechanical clearance machines (MineWolf, Digger D-250, PT300, Zmiy) and mine detection dogs, on invitation from national governments and mine action authorities.
- Explosive Ordnance Risk Education Life-saving education delivered to children and adults in conflict-affected countries teaching them how to recognise, avoid and report explosive threats, using in-person sessions, puppet shows, schools outreach, and digital campaigns through Facebook, SMS, radio and billboards.
- Weapons and Ammunition Management Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) programmes that help governments and security forces safely store, manage and destroy weapons and ammunition, reducing risks of unplanned explosions at munitions sites and preventing diversion to illicit markets.
- Community Liaison Services Field teams that work with local communities to identify contaminated areas, assess needs, deliver risk education and support clearance operations by gathering information on how explosives affect people's daily lives.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 20 million people helped in 70 countries since 1989
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use MAG
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
MAG technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
MAG partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- CARICOM IMPACScoreMAG and CARICOM IMPACS launched a world-first regional validation course for personnel working with International Ammunition Technical Guidelines. Funded by U.S. State Department, this initiative establishes a shared professionalized regional roster of ammunition specialists for the Caribbean, enhancing preparedness and preventing illicit ammunition diversion.
- JustGivingminorThird-party fundraising platform enabling supporters to create fundraising pages, sponsor participants in events, and make donations to MAG's humanitarian demining work.
- TeemillminorOnline store platform for MAG merchandise, allowing supporters to purchase items while supporting the organization's fundraising activities.
- FacebookcorePartnership for large-scale Digital Explosive Ordnance Risk Education campaigns targeting 9.5 million people in Iraq, Lebanon, Somalia and Vietnam. Facebook provides ad credits and marketing support. First-ever large-scale application of Facebook to keep people safe from unexploded ordnance.
- Arab Puppet Theatre FoundationminorCollaboration to develop risk education projects using shadow puppets. Films are being shown in Vietnam and Iraq, with rollout to more communities to help keep people safe from explosive remnants of war.
- ANAMA (Mine Action Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan)coreAt invitation of ANAMA, MAG conducted technical assessment in April 2021, leading to capacity development project in December 2021. MAG delivers training to improve quality of ANAMA's mine action programming and has reviewed and updated national Standard Operating Procedures in line with international best practice.
- IEPF (national operator Azerbaijan)coreIn 2023, MAG established partnership with IEPF national operator, in coordination with ANAMA, to begin survey and clearance activities in high priority areas of Azerbaijan.
- APOPOcorePartnership with Belgian NGO APOPO deploying mine detection rats and technical survey dogs. APOPO's rats are being deployed in Karabakh to support demining operations in Azerbaijan.
- Ukrainian Deminers Association (UDA)coreMAG is working with UDA to build its capacity through training in all aspects of demining from risk education work to mechanical clearance in Ukraine.
- Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD)coreGICHD's Ammunition Management Advisory Team (AMAT) facilitated the first-ever regional validation course for ammunition personnel in the Caribbean, working with MAG and CARICOM IMPACS to validate experts against International Ammunition Technical Guidelines.
- World Food Programme (WFP)minorPartnership for coordination of humanitarian operations, with WFP supporting food security aspects while MAG clears agricultural land for farming.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights7 records
MAG competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The HALO Trust: The HALO Trust is the world's largest humanitarian landmine clearance organisation, operating in 30+ post-conflict countries. It is MAG's most direct peer, competing for the same institutional donor funding (US, UK, EU) and delivering near-identical core services of manual/mechanical clearance, battle-area clearance, and risk education.
- APOPO: APOPO is a Belgian NGO that detects landmines and TB using trained rats and detection dogs, and is an active MAG partner (deploying Technical Survey Dogs in Ukraine with MAG in 2025). It overlaps MAG in clearance delivery, especially in Azerbaijan and Southeast Asia.
- Humanity & Inclusion (HI): Humanity & Inclusion (formerly Handicap International) is a major humanitarian NGO running mine-risk education and victim-assistance programmes in many of the same countries as MAG (Syria, Lebanon, Ukraine). It competes for the same institutional donor funds and addresses overlapping beneficiary segments.
- Norwegian People's Aid (NPA): NPA runs one of the largest mine action programmes globally, with deep donor ties to Norway and operations spanning Africa, Asia and the Balkans. It directly competes with MAG for government mine-action grants and follows the same multi-method clearance and community-liaison approach.
- Danish Refugee Council (Demining Unit): The Danish Refugee Council runs a humanitarian mine action unit (formerly Danish Demining Group) operating across Africa and the Middle East. It directly competes with MAG for government and EU grants and serves similar conflict-affected populations.
- Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD): FSD is a Swiss humanitarian demining NGO operating in Africa, the Middle East, Caucasus and Asia with Swiss government funding. It provides direct competition for MAG in many of the same post-conflict clearance tenders.
Regional players
- NPA Croatia / Secta MINE: Regional humanitarian demining operators in Southeast Europe (e.g. NPA's Western Balkans work, Croatia Mine Action Centre) operate in adjacent geographies to MAG's Middle East and post-Soviet footprint and compete for EU funding under similar streams.
- Mines Advisory Canada / Mines Action Canada: Mines Action Canada is a Canadian advocacy and policy NGO focused on the Ottawa Convention and mine-ban treaty work, with operational ties to MAG's institutional donor relationships. It is a regional/advocacy peer rather than a direct field-level competitor.
Broad incumbents
- UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS): UNMAS is the UN's coordinating body for mine action inside peacekeeping and humanitarian responses. While not a direct field-level competitor, it sets policy, coordinates funding, and often sub-contracts field delivery to MAG and other INGOs — making it both a peer and a key funding intermediary.
Others
- Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD): GICHD is the sector's policy and standards hub, working with MAG and CARICOM IMPACS on the 2026 regional ammunition validation course. It is an enabler/ecosystem partner rather than a competitor — shaping the IMAS standards MAG operates against.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
MAG social profiles
Digital presenceMAG financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MAG leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
MAG subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
MAG funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MAG M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about MAG
What does MAG do?
MAG (Mines Advisory Group) is a UK-registered charitable company that finds and destroys landmines, cluster munitions and unexploded bombs in places affected by conflict, and delivers Explosive Ordnance Risk Education to at-risk communities. It also runs Physical Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) programmes that help governments safely manage and destroy weapons and ammunition, supported by community liaison teams that pioneer contaminated-area assessment. Operations are funded primarily by institutional donor grants (approximately 97% of an ~£80 million annual turnover) with the remainder from individual and corporate charitable giving.
Is MAG a public or private company?
MAG is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was MAG founded?
MAG was founded in 1989. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is MAG based?
MAG is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does MAG make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Institutional Donor Funding is the primary driver. The others are individual Charitable Donations and corporate Partnerships.
Who are MAG's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The HALO Trust, APOPO, Humanity & Inclusion (HI), Norwegian People's Aid (NPA), Danish Refugee Council (Demining Unit) and Swiss Foundation for Mine Action (FSD). Regional players are NPA Croatia / Secta MINE and Mines Advisory Canada / Mines Action Canada. UN Mine Action Service (UNMAS) is listed as a broad incumbent. Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) is listed as an others.
Does MAG have an API?
No public API is recorded for MAG.
What industry is MAG in?
MAG's product category is Humanitarian Demining Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPADAFAH, Mine Action & Explosive Ordnance Risk Reduction (EOD/ERW), with a secondary code of BPADADAM, Mine Action & Explosive Ordnance Risk Education (EORE). Its NAICS code is 56291.