By Webby Banda CTPD-Senior Researcher (Extractives)
The first step in crafting a formidable Gold game plan should be to depoliticize the sub-sector. It is important to stress that any plan that is going to be advanced will depend on the current political climate. Political involvement at any level of the value chain will overshadow any strategy to transform Gold into a strategic mineral. Gold being strategic should induce macroeconomic stability and alleviate poverty levels. Therefore, there is need for Government to exhibit selflessness in the management process.
The government will need to nature transparency and accountability. Once this is achieved, the Zambian citizens will have confidence in the implemented management systems subsequently granting the government the social license to operate.
The Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD) wishes to note that Gold has the potential to spark conflict if not properly managed. Therefore, it is important that Government cautiously manages this resource to prevent civil strife.
CTPD thinks that Government needs to seriously scrutinize foreign applications of mining and exploration licenses to ensure that the proceeds from gold are not fueling conflict in other nations.
Once a national gold plan is formulated, there will be a need for the Government to disclose it to host communities before they can advance any exploration and mining activities in these areas. Failure to do so will result in these community members feeling left out in the exploitation process of this strategic mineral.
The Centre also thinks that the basic idea behind Gold exploitation should not only be centered on channeling this resource to the Bank of Zambia to prop up the national reserves, but it must alleviate poverty levels through the vehicle of artisanal and small-scale mining
The concept of poverty alienation in communities hosting Gold must be centered on the following:
- Creation of employment at all levels of the value chain;
- Creation of hospitals and schools; and
- Creation of linkages to other business sectors.
CTPD has just finalized a study on Gold mining and will be churning out some recommendations to Government that will potentially transform the sector in a tool that will promote macroeconomic stability and alleviate poverty levels. The Centre is willing to support the Government in developing a formidable game plan for Gold mining.
I thought everything CPTD has said is already in place??? These organisations tend to like to issue media statements before sitting down with the main stakeholders, in this case Mines Ministry and ZCCM-IH. No news here.
P@kunya Funkutu (P.F)are NOT a fit Government equipped to deal with Zambia’s Gold.
Had it been Chibuku or K@chasu, efilyako!!
Jerabos, sleeping giant, one that has great but unrealized or newly emerging power.
You understand that Decisions made in a vacuum are often made on limited perspective and information. It’s something that is very difficult to do to make a list of things that would never occur to us without seeking perspective from outside. People are the vehicles of information.
You know your community, your surrounding and your Republic, You have the power to influence GRZ.
Jerabos, it’s your time to Bring about change. “Major spending is required to bring about substantial improvements in housing.” PF you have run out of time-outs.
This is a very useless article. Zambia owes it’s very existence to the politicisation of the copper mines. The first decade post political independence represents the only period that Zambians truly benefitted from it’s mineral wealth. It has been down hill since the oil crisis of the 70s.
There are models of successful exploitation of mineral resources by land owners. We can learn alot from Botswana and how they have managed their diamond wealth.
The other short coming of this article is that it has overlooked neglected but critically strategic minerals, specifically the rare earth metals whose significance due to the blossoming electric car industry is sky-rocketing. Meanwhile the Chinese are already robbing us of billions in this category of minerals without any alarm from…
Gold is for Zambians. We shall all benefit. That is why they call us patriotic front
@ KZ
You mean Patriotic F.OOLs?
The only f.ools are those willing to be led by a crook who sold the mines for peanuts. We wont let him anywhere near our gold, the sell out
How can you depolicise Gold when a known and convicted thief Lungu is sending his PF cadres to Mwinilunga to intimidate everyone. He also goes to hire Sudanese mafia to mine the same Gold for him leaving Zambians with a stake of less than 5% in our own Gold.
No one will ever Trust Lungu again. He is a humble thief of course but we are not dull.