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Business Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Miners’ Federation (ZMF) will on Friday hold its general council meeting in Zvishavane to, among other things, find ways of improving the ease of doing business for artisanal and small-scale miners.
ZMF chief executive officer Mr Wellington Takavarasha said the meeting would focus on approaches to working with artisanal and small scale miners for improved output.
“The focus of the meeting is on the ease of doing business by artisanal and small scale miners so as to increase production by removing constraints,” he said.
Key topics include mining policy issues, mining legislation, administrative and environmental management.
Attention will also be directed to occupational and health, technical finance, regularisation and formalisation of artisanal miners, fair trade as well as strategies to manage the synergy of artisanal and small-scale miners with large scale miners.
Mr Takavarasha said Mines and Mining Development Minister Walter Chidhakwa, officials from the Ministries of Finance and Economic Development, Water, Climate and Natural Resources as well as the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, Fidelity Printers and Refineries are expected to attend the event.
He said artisanal and small scale gold mining in Zimbabwe represents an essential economic opportunity for the country, particularly as other economic alternatives are limited and challenging.
“The sector is estimated to provide a livelihood directly or indirectly to over a million people nationally. The artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector’s economic importance goes beyond employment, it also contributed to Zimbabwe’s total gold production from an average of 25 percent realised over the past five years to about 40 percent in 2015,” said Mr Takavarasha.
“A total of seven tonnes of the 18 tonnes that Zimbabwe produced in 2015 was produced by artisanal and small scale miners. To date small-scale scale miners have produced 5,4 tonnes as recorded at Fidelity Printers and Refiners.”
He said despite the informality and illegality of most artisanal and small-scale mining operations, there is clear recognition that a robust artisanal and small-scale mining sector can contribute to the recovery of the economy at large.
“As a result, there is a need for a holistic approach required for relevant stakeholders to address the regulatory framework and create a conducive environment to support the development of a sustainable and secure artisanal small-scale mining sector,” said Mr Takavarasha.
Online Reporter