Friday, March 29, 2024

Zambia Chamber of Mines elects new President, as he calls for a rethink on impediments to production growth

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The Zambia Chamber of Mines, a body representing mining and allied industries in Zambia has elected Dr Godwin Beene as its new President.

Dr Beene takes over from Mr. Goodwell Mateyo, Company Secretary of Mopani Copper Mines who had successfully served the organisation for two years.

Dr Beene who is First Quantum Minerals Government Relations Specialist took over the mantle on 5th March 2021, after the Council of the Zambia Chamber of Mines elected him.

In accepting his appointment, Dr Beene presented his immediate priority as being close engagement with all stakeholders.

This engagement will aim at ensuring the mining sector becomes competitive again and attracts new investors while motivating expansion by existing investors who have boldly weathered local and international storms since 2000.

Dr Beene pointed to the perfect storm of Copper demand growing fundamentals driven by North American, Chinese and European governments’ resolve to stimulate their economies by ramping up green energy generation and rolling out supporting infrastructure that will accelerate the speed of uptake of electric vehicles.

“We need to maximize on this opportunity to change the fortunes of the industry from those of the last fifteen years that have seen production fluctuate below 1million tons per annum. Hard as it is to accept, Zambia must regard capital flows into less endowed and even into more operationally challenging jurisdictions as lost investment. As long as tax measures such as the non-deductibility of mineral royalty persist, even at 50 per cent deductibility as suggested by some, Zambian mining will remain uncompetitive and unable to afford the cost of capital. Half a unique impediment remains an impediment.”

The incoming Chamber President said that the Chamber of Mines will continue to play its role in highlighting to government and stakeholders impediments to growth in the sector, alerting the Ministry of Mines of the emerging opportunities and trends in the industry and fostering transparency under the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI) umbrella.

“At an appropriate time, we hope that a national mining indaba with government could be held as the time for us to take the high road and gain acceleration is now.”

Dr Beene served as Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Mines from 2009 to 2011.

This period saw improved relations with new and existing investors and significant inflows of investment in the sector which resulted in countrywide geological surveys and mineral exploration, including for oil and gas.

Consequently, ground-breaking of Kalumbila Mine, Lubambe Mine, the resumption of operations of Luanshya Copper Mines and development of the NFCA’s South Orebody took place. In the same period, development of Maamba Coal Power Plant and the recommissioning of Munali (Mabiza) Nickel Mine followed.

With a heightened level of interest in the sector, the Zambian chapter of the EITI was launched in 2009.

Dr Beene obtained an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering at University of Wales, University College Swansea in the UK in 1981 and joined Nchanga Tailings Leach plant.

In 1984 he won a Beit Trust scholarship and returned to his alma mater where in 1988 he was awarded a PhD in Chemical Engineering.

He went on to hold several senior turnaround roles in the industry at Luanshya, Chingola and Kitwe.

He is credited as one of the influencers of change that saw birth of the modern Engineering Institution of Zambia and its Engineering Registration Board, having served as Secretary and President of the Professional Body.

Mr Mateyo, the outgoing President has since congratulated Dr Beene and echoed the unanimous confidence of the Chamber of Mines Council in his leadership as the industry comes to a most critical fork in the road of its development.

12 COMMENTS

  1. “Biggest external concern in 2020.Attracting and retaining talent ranks as their top internal concern.Jan 2, 2020.” And who is the factor PF and the current administration let’s not beat around the bush.

    PF time out. We are tired of UNIP politics.

    Lusaka Stock Exchange stagnant.

    PF time out.

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  2. CONGRATULATIONS!!
    HOWEVER, OUR CHAMBER OF MINES HAS BEEN LACKLUSTRE COMPARED TO SAY THE SOUTH AFRICAN CHAMBER OF MINES WHICH IS VERY IMAGINATIVE JUST VISIT THEIR WEBSITE

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  3. Zambia, what a country. President(s) of chamber of mines are employees. That’s all they know about mining, is employment. As a people we don’t own our own mines, not even shares in our own mines. And here we are, ati president of mines. Pathetic way of running a country. It’s the same you go to chamber of commenced, presidents are foreign bazungu. In our own country, we have no say, no control of the means of production. Even farmers union you see the zambian president with no agenda to develop zambian farmers. All he talks about is what bazungu farmers tell him to champion.

  4. Goodwell Mateyo was always under attack from members of the public, the chap was always calm. I hope the new chap will withstand the pressure because people are not happy with how the mine owners have conducted themselves. They used to vent their anger on Mateyo

  5. Kkkkk zambian mines are dead,pf no longer respect,or consult the chambers of mines but prefer consulting unions on key issues.
    So your efforts are already dwindled even before you execute them.

  6. a guy who is accused of aggravated robbery at Kansanshi Mining has indeed his place as a representative of the great plunderers of Zambian wealth…
    Zambia Watchdog
    FIRST QUANTUM DIREFTORS ACCUSED OF STEALING $520 MILLION
    First Quantum Minerals (FQM) directors have been accused of misappropriating $520 million by fraudulently diverting it to a sister company.
    Investigations are still at the initial stage but basic facts are that, on 26 August 2019, First Quantum directors acting together with their appointed directors in Kansanshi Mining Plc transferred $520 million USD belonging to Kansanshi Mine to a sister company known as First Quantum Minerals Finance Limited, without following laid down procedures and without the approval of the Kansanshi mining PLC Board.

    The suspects have…

  7. The suspects have been named as Philip PASCALL, Arthur PASCALL, Clive NEWALL, Rudi BANDENHORST, Hannes MEYER, LAMASWALA, Chisanga CHEKWE and Dr Godwin BEENE.
    Through its subsidiary Kansanshi Holdings Limited, First Quantum Minerals Ltd is the majority shareholder in Kansanshi Mining Plc.
    One person close to the case told the Watchdog that;
    ‘The taking of the money to the sister company was UNAUTHORIZED. It has been reported that this is not the first time that the named directors are robbing the Zambian people through such arrangements with sister companies. They have been doing this for some time which led the Zambian Government owned entity ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc to sue them in the High Court in Zambia in 2016. The court case has not stopped the directors from stealing. The…

  8. The suspects have been named as Philip PASCALL, Arthur PASCALL, Clive NEWALL, Rudi BANDENHORST, Hannes MEYER, LAMASWALA, Chisanga CHEKWE and Dr Godwin BEENE.

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