Govt commended for formalising Artisanal Mining

The North-Western Province Small-Scale Mining Association has commended Government for its efforts to formalise artisanal mining operations in Mufumbwe District. Speaking in an interview with the media, Association Strategic Planning and Implementation Consultant Mukumbi Kafuta…

The North-Western Province Small-Scale Mining Association has commended Government for its efforts to formalise artisanal mining operations in Mufumbwe District.

Speaking in an interview with the media, Association Strategic Planning and Implementation Consultant Mukumbi Kafuta said the recent commitment by ZCCM-IH to invest more than 2.2 million United States dollars in the development of Kikonge Gold Mine would go a long way in facilitating the formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining in the region and beyond.

Mr Kafuta also commended Government for its efforts to train and certify players in the artisanal mining sector.

He said the Association was confident that the investment would contribute to a more organised and safer mining environment.

“We would like to commend ZCCM-IH for the pledge of over US$2.2 million meant for infrastructure development and the coordination of mining activities which are scheduled to start. This investment is going to be a game-changer,” he said.

Mr Kafuta further called for transparency and inclusiveness in the implementation process, particularly in the allocation of mining tenements.

He said orderly implementation would help attract investors to the artisanal mining sector, providing miners with financial, geological and machinery support, among other services.

“This means that we are not going to have cooperatives or individuals participate in artisanal mining without knowledge. Instead, they will have full geological information, access to financing and readily available markets to sell their minerals,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr Kafuta has called on Government to introduce deliberate financial initiatives and mechanisms to support the growth of the mining sector.

He observed that Government has programmes such as the Farmer Input Support Programme (FISP) to increase agricultural production, but similar interventions are lacking in the mining sector.

Mr Kafuta said the same principle of empowering farmers with inputs should be applied to the mining sector by providing artisanal and small-scale miners with machinery, financing and capacity-building skills.

“We have a lot of artisanal mining licences that expire before the owners can invest in anything because mining is highly technical and capital-intensive. This requires them to be capacitated with skills, technology and other necessities,” he said.

He said such interventions would empower citizens, create jobs and contribute to economic growth.