Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe, Senior Features Writer
EVERY day, multitudes of artisanal miners descend into narrow shafts across Zimbabwe in search of minerals, predominantly gold.
For many, the gamble pays off. For others, it ends in tragedy.
Mine collapses, unsafe working conditions and preventable accidents continue to claim lives despite the sector becoming the country’s biggest gold producer.
Now Government wants to fundamentally change that reality by training and licensing 600 000 artisanal and small-scale miners in what could become the most ambitious mining formalisation programme in Zimbabwe’s history.
The proposed initiative, championed by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, seeks to transform a sector that has become the backbone of Zimbabwe’s gold industry while remaining one of its most hazardous.
For years, artisanal and small-scale miners have driven gold production, created livelihoods and sustained economic activity in communities across the country.
Today, they account for the bulk of the country’s gold deliveries and have become indispensable to the mining sector and the broader economy.
Their importance continues to grow.
For instance, small-scale miners affiliated with the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) are targeting deliveries of more than 45 tonnes of gold to Fidelity Gold Refinery this year through a new “cluster mining” model aimed at mechanising artisanal mining operations.
In 2025, artisanal and small-scale miners delivered 34,9 tonnes of gold compared to 11,8 tonnes from large-scale mining companies, underlining their dominance in national gold output.
With gold remaining Zimbabwe’s largest foreign currency earner, the formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining has increasingly become both an economic and social imperative.
However, despite their contribution, artisanal miners continue to face challenges ranging from low safety standards and limited technical knowledge to environmental concerns and inadequate access to formal training.
The result has been recurring accidents, mine collapses and loss of life.
It is against this backdrop that Government is proposing a comprehensive training and licensing programme to professionalise the sector.
The ambitious target was outlined by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development, Dr Thomas Utete Wushe, during a recent familiarisation visit to the Zimbabwe School of Mines (ZSM) in Bulawayo.
Central to the proposal is the vision of converting what has traditionally been a largely informal activity into a professionally trained, regulated and safer industry capable of contributing even more effectively to national mineral output.
Dr Utete Wushe believes the sector’s production achievements should not come at the expense of human lives.
“My challenge to the school and the ministry is to ensure that those 600 000 miners should be qualified and licensed to do what they are doing,” Dr Utete Wushe said.
The proposal marks a significant shift in Government thinking.
Rather than viewing artisanal mining as a peripheral activity, authorities are increasingly recognising the sector as a strategic pillar of Zimbabwe’s mining ecosystem that requires structured support, training and regulation.
Dr Utete Wushe said Zimbabwe already has a successful model demonstrating that large-scale certification programmes can work.
He demonstrated the initiative’s feasibility by comparing it to Zimbabwe’s driver licensing system, which has successfully trained and certified millions of motorists.
“What we have achieved on the roads shows that the country can do the same for artisanal miners,” he said.
The vision extends beyond issuing certificates.
Authorities want miners equipped with technical expertise, safety awareness and operational discipline that can reduce fatalities, improve productivity and encourage responsible mining practices.
“We need to start moving fast, because the moment we get that done, you obviously reduce that life-losing propensity associated with small-scale artisanal mining.
“The primary objective is safety. We should not lose a life,” Dr Utete Wushe said.
Mining experts say formalisation could unlock benefits that stretch well beyond improved safety.
Properly trained miners are more likely to adopt efficient mining methods, improve mineral recovery rates, minimise environmental damage and comply with mining regulations.
For Zimbabwe, such improvements could significantly enhance productivity and sustainability throughout the mining value chain.
That’s where Zimbabwe School of Mines comes in and is expected to play a central role in the initiative.
The institution has already established itself as one of Africa’s leading centres for artisanal and small-scale mining training.
According to school officials, more than 5 500 artisanal and small-scale miners from over 10 countries have undergone training programmes at the institution.
The school has also gained international recognition after being ranked among the top three artisanal and small-scale mining training institutions in Africa by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and UNESCO.
Over the past three years, more than 800 artisanal miners have been trained through online programmes covering gold extraction, mineral processing and mining law.
In 2022, the institution introduced a dedicated Certificate in Small Scale Mining, with the inaugural group of 25 students graduating in 2024.
The school has also made notable progress in promoting gender inclusion.
Female participation in artisanal and small-scale mining programmes now ranges between 31 percent and 33 percent.
Over the last decade, more than 600 women have completed specialised mining short courses, while 255 women graduated from the institution’s “Fundamentals of Mining: Women in Mining” programme.
These achievements point to the growing demand for formal mining education and the role training institutions can play in transforming the sector.
However, scaling up training remains a challenge.
Zimbabwe School of Mines Training and Operations Manager Engineer Martin January said affordability remains one of the biggest obstacles facing artisanal miners.
“The programmes cost just one and a half grams (of gold), technically it’s US$190 but for them to come and pay that kind of money is a challenge.
“We are proposing that it be a statutory requirement to have someone with a mining qualification in your set-up.
“If we do that, it will be easy to operate in the sector. It will ensure that people are motivated to learn and that will reduce incidences when miners are operating,” he said.
School officials said the difficulties extend beyond tuition fees.
Many artisanal miners survive on daily production proceeds, making it difficult to leave mining sites to attend training programmes.
“Subsistence miners operate from hand-to-mouth. They cannot afford travel, accommodation and training fees. The opportunity costs daily production.
“The result is unsponsored outreach programmes in remote districts (Bubi, Kadoma, Kwekwe, Mazowe) face extremely low turnouts,” officials said.
The consequences are significant.
Without adequate training, unsafe mining practices continue to thrive.
“Illegal mining, dangerous shaft collapses, and uncontrolled mercury pollution persist at the extraction point,” officials noted.
To address these challenges, the school is advocating increased sponsorship and support from
Government, mining companies and development partners.
According to school officials, sponsored programmes consistently record better enrolment and completion rates.
“The moment a sponsor steps in, financial barriers disappear, leading to maximum enrolment and high retention rates.
“Sponsorship eliminates cost barriers for miners, removes the opportunity cost of lost production and makes training accessible to those who need it most.”
Industry observers believe such partnerships will be essential if Zimbabwe is to achieve the target of training and licensing 600 000 miners.
Beyond training, Dr Utete Wushe wants the Zimbabwe School of Mines to become a hub of innovation capable of developing local solutions to challenges affecting the mining industry.
He challenged the institution to strengthen research and maximise the use of its innovation hub.
“My call now is to strengthen your research so that you can create the future. We want this school charting the future through innovation. The moment we start celebrating high productivity, we have a tear to shed because we have lost a life.
“Can we, as a school, try to start changing that narrative where the story is only about higher production without the cost of life?”
His remarks reflect growing recognition that the future of Zimbabwe’s mining sector cannot be measured solely by production statistics.
Safety, skills development, innovation and sustainability must become equally important indicators of success.
The proposed programme has already received support from youth-focused mining organisations, which say young people constitute a significant proportion of those affected by mining accidents.
Young Miners Foundation (YMF) chief executive officer Mr Payne Farai Kupfuwa said the proposal directly addresses a worsening safety crisis affecting many young miners.
“The proposal by the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development is to actually tackle the worsening safety crisis with fatalities among artisanal and small-scale miners, which is continuing to rise despite the factors of growing economic significance, which goes a long way in our programming as Young Miners Foundation.
“You realise that most of these fatalities and most of these victims of the accidents and all that happens in the mines affects the young people who are our target group as Young Miners Foundation,” said Mr Kupfuwa.
He said the organisation has intensified its safety, health and environmental programmes through training and awareness campaigns.
“This is a concern, and we have bolstered our safety, health and environmental department by incorporating training into our awareness efforts.
“We also have developing tailored programmes to incentivise young miners who comply with safety, health and environmental regulations.
“We agree with Dr Wushe and are committed to reducing fatalities and accidents at mining sites,” he said.
Mr Kupfuwa said there is a widespread misconception that artisanal miners deliberately resist training.
“As an organisation, it’s our duty to educate them on the value of training. They aren’t resistant; they simply lack awareness.
“Most realise the training’s importance only after experiencing it and understanding the dangers of their work and the necessity for training and certification,” he said.
He added that demand for training often increases once miners understand the risks associated with unsafe mining practices.
“They may not initially grasp its significance, but they desire safety, longevity, family support and contributions to the mining value chain. The primary challenge is the availability of resources for training programmes.
“We aim to implement training at the ward level, in districts, and across all provinces to raise awareness,” he said.
The sentiments reinforce calls for increased funding and sponsorship as stakeholders seek to expand access to training across the country.
For many observers, the challenge is no longer proving the value of training but ensuring it reaches miners operating in remote communities where accidents remain common and access to formal mining education remains limited.
If successfully implemented, the programme could mark a turning point for Zimbabwe’s artisanal and small-scale mining sector.
For decades, artisanal miners have supplied the gold that has kept the industry growing, often at considerable personal risk.
The challenge now is whether Zimbabwe can ensure that the pursuit of gold no longer comes at the cost of human lives.
Should the initiative succeed, the future of artisanal mining may be defined not by recurring accidents and informality, but by a skilled, licensed and much safer workforce contributing more effectively to national economic growth.
