Mining made easy: Discover how to tap into Zimbabwe’s wealth

By Jerry Chifamba

Starting a mining venture in Zimbabwe is easier than it looks because local and foreign investors just need to navigate a streamlined process to acquire mining claims.

Kudzaishe Nzira, a mining engineer at the Ministry of Mines said the process is fairly simple and attainable.

He said that with US$75 anyone above the age of 18 can get a prospecting license after following a few straightforward steps.

To kick off the process, he said prospective miners must acquire a prospecting license from the Ministry of Mines’ Provincial Offices.”This requires a national ID or company documents and the payment of the gazetted fee,” he said.

“Valid for two years, the license grants holders the rights to prospect and peg mining claims across Zimbabwe.

“Once a mineral deposit is identified, the license holder appoints an agent or Approved Prospector to peg the claim. The agent marks the deposit on the ground with Discovery and Registration Notices to notify other prospectors. Each license allows for pegging up to 10 claims, each covering 1 hectare for precious metals.”

The next step he said involves submitting an application for registration to the Provincial mining director, along with necessary documents, including copies of the prospecting licenses and a detailed map.

“If satisfied with the pegging procedures, the Provincial Mining Director will issue a certificate of registration upon payment of a fee, allowing the holder to commence mining operations, contingent upon fulfilling other obligations such as an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).

“Foreign investors can leverage on the Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency (ZIDA) to facilitate company set up and connect with the ministry for necessary mining titles. The rest is just simple day-to-day business.”