Online Reporter
AN International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation from Washington, D.C. toured Duration Gold’s Gaika Mine in Kwekwe yesterday, gaining first hand insight into Zimbabwe’s mining sector during a broader mission to assess the country’s economic reforms.
The IMF team, led by Mission Chief Wojtek Maliszewski, is in Zimbabwe under a 10-month non-financing Staff-Monitored Programme (SMP) aimed at consolidating macroeconomic stability, strengthening governance and supporting international re-engagement.
The Gaika visit marked a rare engagement between the IMF and a private mining firm. Duration Gold spokesperson Robert Mukondiwa said the company invited the team to better understand the opportunities and challenges facing internationally owned mining operations in Zimbabwe.
“We hosted the team, led by Chief of Mission Wojtek Maliszewski, in order to familiarise them with the project and our operations, while also highlighting both the opportunities and challenges associated with operating as an internationally owned company within Zimbabwe’s mining industry,” Mukondiwa said.
He added that Duration Gold supports the Government’s goal of achieving an upper-middle-income economy by 2030, with mining playing a pivotal role.
Mukondiwa cited key issues affecting mining growth, including security, policy consistency and mining lease administration.
He also urged greater investment in large-scale greenfield exploration, noting that many historic mines face depleting known resources.
“Artisanal mining is largely restricted to near-surface mineralisation and therefore has a finite lifespan as a resource extraction model,” Mukondiwa said.
“The future of Zimbabwean mining must therefore be anchored on professional exploration, responsible mine development and the continuous replacement of depleted resources.”
He described the IMF visit as the beginning of what could become a valuable relationship with the Fund and related institutions.
Following Gaika, the delegation was expected to visit Duration Gold’s Vubachikwe Mine in Gwanda today before further meetings with Government officials and economic stakeholders.
Duration Gold co-director Dave Easterbrook called the visit historic. “The team was exposed to a great deal of information and gained an on-the-ground appreciation of the Zimbabwean mining story from a private-sector perspective,” he said.
The delegation toured mining and processing operations, laboratory facilities, and security infrastructure. The IMF’s mission comes as Zimbabwe shows improving economic indicators, including recovering gold, platinum and lithium output, moderating inflation and relative exchange-rate stability. Findings from the private-sector engagements will inform ongoing discussions under the Staff-Monitored Programme.
