Online Reporter
Obey Musiwa
Herald Reporter
THE Government, financial institutions, miners and development partners have called for greater access to responsible financing for artisanal and small-scale gold miners (ASGM) as part of efforts to promote formalisation, business growth and mercury-free mining practices.
The call was made during the planetGOLD Zimbabwe national dialogue held under the theme, “Unlocking Responsible Finance for Formalised ASGM: Pathways to Investment, Business Growth, and Mercury-Free Mining.”
The dialogue highlighted the sector’s significant contribution to livelihoods for more than one million Zimbabweans while acknowledging the environmental and health risks associated with unsafe mining practices, particularly the use of mercury.
Speaking on behalf of the Deputy Director in the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Management, Mr Abu Matiza, Acting Deputy Director for Environmental Quality Mrs Angella Kabira, said strengthening links between artisanal miners and financial institutions is essential for achieving both economic growth and environmental sustainability.
He said improved access to finance would enable miners to invest in safer, cleaner and more efficient mining technologies.
“Our mandate is not to suppress this vital livelihood, but to green it and the planetGOLD Zimbabwe project sits at the very heart of this mission,” he said.
“Environmental sustainability and economic prosperity are not mutually exclusive. They are two sides of the same coin.”
The dialogue held in Harare on Wednesday brought out a shared vision that responsible finance, formalisation, and mercury-free technologies can transform Zimbabwe’s ASGM sector.
Mining Industry Loan Fund acting fund manager Mr Mhazo Rangarirai outlined the fund’s role in equipping miners with affordable tools.
He highlighted the ministry’s work to improve access to affordable equipment and incentives as key to shifting miners away from mercury.
“The focus of the fund is to capacitate miners with equipment, either on sale or on credit, at prices below the market rate,” said Mr Rangarirai.
“If alternative solutions deliver better gold recovery than mercury, we have solved it beautifully.”
PlanetGOLD Zimbabwe project manager Ms Nyaradzo Mutonhori emphasised the importance of financial literacy, ESG training, and policy reform to integrate artisanal miners into the formal economy.
She said that de-risking the ASGM sector and formalisation are essential for miners to access finance and contribute to Vision 2030.
“The funds are there, sitting in banks and microfinance institutions. The main issue we need to address is de-risking the artisanal mining sector,” said Ms Mutonhori.
“We can only achieve an upper-middle-income economy if small and medium enterprises are supported to grow and if the informal sector is integrated into the formal economy.”
