Friday, March 29, 2024

CSOs call on Govts to introduce stronger laws to allow African countries to benefit from mining

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African civil society organisations have called governments on the continent to pursue legislation and strong regulatory institutions to ensure that African countries derive their fair share of the benefits of their extractive resources.

And representatives of over 450 CSOs from African countries their international partners marched in Cape Town last week during the closing stage of the Mining Indaba and presented a declaration calling for greater transparency in the extractive industry.

Meanwhile, Mines Minister Christopher Yaluma says he like other Zambians is concerned on how best the country could benefit from mining.

The CSO’s have also urged governments in Africa to domesticate the progressive regional processes and instruments at the national level like the African Mining Vision.

This is according of a declaration made at the end of the 2017 Alternative Mining Indaba under the theme “making natural resources work for the people: domestication of the Africa mining vision: from vision to reality’’.

The CSO further called on their governments to recognise that the economic value of local ownership of mining rights is higher than foreign Multinational Corporations.

“We urge African governments to push hard for stronger and better regulatory institutions to ensure that the benefits of extraction are shared equitably. We urge African nations to dispense with the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) logic of the Multi National Corporations, which invariably results in these countries unnecessarily competing against each other for foreign investment by lowering tax thresholds, thus further undermining their ability to mobilise adequate domestic revenues,” the said.

They also call on governments to invest resources in their Sovereign Wealth Funds from minerals so as to create inter-generational equity, instead of just saving the money.

“We call on governments to not only focus on revenue mobilisation but also the distribution end to ensure that the poorest in society also benefit from the mineral wealth transparently and accountably. We urge our governments to identify processes of the mining chain where corruption is most likely to occur, starting from concession-granting to revenue collection to demobilisation and bloc these loopholes,” they said.

The CSO’s also urged African governments to employ taxation as an important strategic tool to foster linkages between mining activities and the larger national economy.

“Furthermore, we call on our governments to harmonise regional policies to improve the benefit of extractives to African citizens. We call upon African governments to fully optimise mining revenues by tackling over generous fiscal incentives, corruption and lack of transparency. We call on our governments to review or re-negotiate contracts unfavourable to their countries to raise revenue to fund structural transformation of their economies.”

And Mr Yaluma says he is concerned just like other Zambians on how best the country from benefit from mining.

He said he was open to continued dialogue with CSOs and Faith Based Organisations in Zambia on improving the management of the extractive industry.

Mr Yaluma said this when members of the Zambian Civil Society and Faith leaders met him at the just ended Alternative Mining Indaba in South Africa and engaged him on various issues pertaining to mining in the country.

An elderly woman joined in the protest march
An elderly woman joined in the protest march
Father Aidan Msafiri of Tanzania Episcopal Conference reads the Alternative Mining Indaba's final declaration.
Father Aidan Msafiri of Tanzania Episcopal Conference reads the Alternative Mining Indaba’s final declaration.
Mines Minister Christopher Yaluma
Mines Minister Christopher Yaluma
Rev Matale presenting the declaration to Mines Minister Chris Yaluma
Rev Matale presenting the declaration to Mines Minister Chris Yaluma
Some protesters outside the Cape Town International Convention Centre
Some protesters outside the Cape Town International Convention Centre
The procession at the foot of the Table Mountain.
The procession at the foot of the Table Mountain.

4 COMMENTS

  1. I DOUBT Yaluma is FULLY CONCERNED! In public HE MAY APPEAR and SAY HE IS CONCERNED BUT IN THE REAL SENSE HE SEEMS NOT CARE on how much we loose as a nation as he COULD BE GETTING HIS OWN SHARE FROM THE MINES! Isn’t he the ONE WE HEARD WAS SHIELDING SOME MINES FROM PAYING DEBTS TO ZESCO when the Mines and Energy Ministries where one under PF? His POSTURE and APPROACH TO MINING ISSUES are TOTALLY AT VARIANCE with his declaration in this article!

  2. This cannot even be an issue of people matching if there was political will from our politicians. The problem is when they want to introduce these measures, the government’s that are stealing our resources they back the opposition leader during the campaign and the opposition leader wins. So they politicians are scared of losing elections. When Lungu wanted to do he same, it’s on record that the World Bank told him that he was going to loose the election. So he backed off. They warned Mwanawasa but he ignored them, a few months later he collapsed after eating lunch in Egypt. What was in his food? No one knows. They asked Chiluba to sell all the mines to one British firm, he refused, a few months later there was a coup attempt by Captain Solo. They continue to persecute Chiluba until…

  3. As long as you have illegitimate governments and presidents like lungu you will continue crying. Wake up

  4. So we engage faith based organisations on how best to operative the extractive industries. Only in Zambia a mine run by the church

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