Online Reporter
Judith Phiri in Masvingo
ALL is set for the Young Miners Foundation (YMF) @ 16: Great Stone Summit scheduled for Saturday at the Chakas Lodges and Resort in Nyika Growth Point, Masvingo, with the Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister Engineer Fred Moyo set to grace the event.
Running under the theme: “Honoring Legacy, Shaping a Sustainable Mining Future” the event celebrates YMF’s 16 years of empowering young miners and shaping the future of the mining sector in Zimbabwe.
In an interview, YMF chief executive officer (CEO), Mr Payne Kupfuwa said they were celebrating their 16th anniversary in the form of a summit, bringing together mining sector players.
“We chose our Masvingo chapter, due to the activities that we are doing in the province. We are working towards securing mining rights for gemstones and chrome, as we have members who are into processing of gemstones into jewelry as we align ourselves with the value addition and beneficiation mantra of the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development,” he said.
“Key stakeholders in the mining industry will be present during the summit tomorrow. Other key institutions will include Environmental Management Agency (EMA), National Social Security Agency (NSSA), Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) and financial institutions among others.”
He said mining players and their leadership from different provinces had also confirmed attendance to the event.
Mr Kupfuwa said this was an opportunity for them to look back in retrospect on what they have done so far as YMF and what they ought to do in order to grow as they do structures for progress.
“16 years is a milestone, a lot has happened. We have young miners in syndicates across the country and we have assisted them to secure mining rights in gold, chrome, lithium and gemstones.
“We have also done trainings in partnership with Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) and the Zimbabwe School of Mines (ZSM) on fundamentals of small scale mining management across the 10 provinces of the country as well as courses on gemstone cutting and polishing,” he added.
“We also recently exhibited at the 23rd United Nations Tourism Summit in Victoria Falls, exhibiting our value-added portraits and allied products made by gemstones found in our country. We have a membership base of young people who are formalising and professionalising their small scale mining enterprises to ensure that they grow from small to medium if not large scale.”
He said this year’s theme was a call to youth in mining to help each other formalise and professionalise their operations, as some successful young miners will be there to give their success stories and testimonies on how they have managed to make it in small scale mining, while some are now even at medium scale mining.
Mr Kupfuwa said they were an affiliate of the International Council of Artisans and Small-Scale Mining (ICASM), Miners for Economic Development (Miners4ED) and Zimbabwe Youth Council (ZYC) among others.
“We are in a very good relationship with all the key stakeholders in the mining industry. We now have a meaningful number of young small-scale miners who are now running their own claims.
“Some are working on a scheme that we established. Young people who are participating in value addition and beneficiation, with young women also into cutting and polishing of gemstones into jewellery, portraits and other gemstone allied products,” he said.
Key topics to be discussed include formalisation and responsible mining, access to finance, safety, health and environmental standards, technology and innovation, environmental, social, and governance (ESG) as well as youth leadership in mining activities among others.
