PRESIDENT Lungu says Government is putting in place policies to address the limited contribution of mining to national development so that citizens can receive meaningful benefits from the exploitation of mineral resources.
The President said his administration wants to move away from policies tailored to position mining as a mere revenue source of Government to that of having an industry that will create broad-based development.
Mr Lungu said this in a speech read for him by Minister of Mines, Energy and Water Development Christopher Yaluma during the official opening of the 5th Zambia International Mining and Energy Conference (ZIMEC) exhibition in Lusaka yesterday.
The event is themed: ‘Zambia’s mining and energy economy 50 years’.
“Contribution of mining to the development of this country has been limited and this has to change in the next 50 years since the focus of Government is to ensure that meaningful benefits trickle down to ordinary people,” President Lungu said.
He said the mining sector will have no excuse but to effectively contribute to the building of a much stronger and sustainable Zambian economy.
“As Government, we are providing a stable and predictable environment and fiscal regime that conforms to international best practices. We are also providing a conducive investment climate that will enhance private sector growth and enhancing necessary policies and regulations to promote effective participation of the Zambian people in the mining supply value chain in order to create wealth,” President Lungu said.
He said there is need to reflect on what can be done to avoid pitfalls experienced in the past 50 years of independence.
President Lungu said in addressing challenges that will ensure a sustainable and strong economy in the next 50 years, people should be mindful that mining is the mainstay of Zambia’s economy and any development in the sector reflects on the lives of people.
He said there have been calls for Zambia to benefit more from mineral resources since the resurgence of the industry after privatisation.
“There also have been concerns on the need for legal and regulatory reforms to improve business environment on one hand and increase benefits for people on the other hand, so we need to go beyond the reforms,” he said.
Earlier, Association of Zambian Mining and Exploration Companies president Geoffrey Mulenga urged Government to expedite enactment of the revised Mines and Minerals Development Act.
“This will ensure security of tenure since exploration takes time and we are happy that taxation issues have been resolved, otherwise some exploration works could have collapsed,” he said.
Ask HH and the privatization of ZCCM
The PF govt and Edgar Lungu in particular have no plan on how to engage the Mining Companies for the benefit of Zambians.
m****** mwe!!!! fusekeni apa with your uselessness. na mu lungusha kale inama yama mumpanga. Leave or die bafipwali!!!!
PF has FAILED! They’re yapping to borrowing b’coz the entire PF leadership is VISIONLESS.
PF is Chimbwi No Plan for the country. 13 months left till PF visionless & pathetic fighters to be dethroned democratically.
Lungu you’re MUTE on the attempted murder of UPND member by your hooligan & kaponyanic SG~Davies Chama! Chama needs to be CAGED, as he is a danger to people’s livelihood. He is a BANDIT! Shooting innocent citizens & the PF unprofessional police are MUTE too like the visionless Lungu. Davies Chama need to face the law, but seems the police & visionless PF leadership are COWARDS. Chama attempts to murder a citizens the whole president & police are WORDLESS is pathetic to say the least of PF failures!
The Skeleton Key
~206~
Fix the ECONOMY & KWACHA ~PF!
Ati kolopa.com , meanwhile with no plan
Nubian Princess, the company that we all think was the best thing since sliced bread; ZCCM was completely broke and losing USD 1m a day when we were FORCED to privatize it. In the end ZCCM was not mining copper it was a charity, helping everyone but itself. Most people (myself included) DON’T KNOW if it was undervalued or not as it was in a complete mess. HH might have done a deal to make money. I don’t have the facts so I don’t speculate.
What I do know is that people are now fond of looking back at the 80’s and ZCCM in particular with rose tinted glasses.
It might be because we have a very young population that people think Zambia in the 80’s was alright because the State-run companies employed hundreds of thousands. Let me tell you that the 80’s were hell!!
There will be no mining in NWP in fifteen years’ time. One dump truck there carries about 380t per 20 minute trip cycle. Multiply that by the number of trips per day and per month and per year and then multiply by the number of dump trucks each open pit has. That gives you an idea.
TRYING TO KEEP UP APPEARANCES. BUT EVERYONE KNOWS THAT YOU DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT OF MIND DUE TO YOUR CHRONIC ILLNESS, HENCE YOU CANNOT PLAN EFFECTIVELY FOR OUR COUNTRY MR. PRESIDENT CHAKOLWA CHAGWA KALE LUNGU. PLEASE GIVE WAY TO HH TO RUN THE SHOW.
Meanwhile the lazy bum is in RSA!!
Guys,
A paradigm shift in policy is needed….Or else, in 50 years time we will still be talking about the potential of mining. By then, the reserves would have been depleted.
Please read this excellent article by Miss Zulu.
****
WE ALSO NEED TO START ADRESSING THE IMPACT THAT THESE ACTIVITIES ARE CREATING ON THE ENVIRONMENT. WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY AND LETS NOT DESTROY IT. WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THESE MINING COMPANIES ARE RESPONSIBLE N THE WAY THEY DISPOSE THIER WASTE AND THE MANNER IN WHICH THEY REDEFINE OUR LANDSCAPES.
President say this, President says that.
How come that the President has not participated at single press conference in Zambia since his victory?
Afraid or clueless about ever increasing challenges Country face due to his administration lack of sensible policy?
President does not want a press conference because he does not have the answers to Zambia’s many problems. That would be embarrassing for him
I think the president needs to take control of the mineral resource sector. He needs a technical person at state house, reporting to him directly on mining related matters.
This person should be an expat with:
1) Long experience in Zambia
2) Strong mining credentials
3) Wide international exposure, and
4) In-depth knowledge of rural Zambia
Such person must brief the President on a weekly basis.
Mining ventures should embrace large-scale as well as small-scale mining, as they do in:
1) Indonesia
2) Brazil
3) Malaysia, and
4) India
Small-scale mining will empower indigenous Zambians to be a part of our mining heritage, and in the event of their venture being merged with a larger player, it will give them corporate exposure.
@Winston
We have countless so called experts stationed at state house. This mining issue only requires use of common sense 1 + 1 = 2. not complicating issues involving so called political cadre experts.
We all know that these companies although making huge profits but declaring losses in our own country yet they keep staying while claiming that they are making a loss.
Our Govt should first put corruption away and use common sense
Well said boss….as this is our main source of income, we definitely need some mining gurus to advise the head of state.
“alungu” says his government providing a “stable and predictable environment and fiscal regime in line with international best practices” and its providing a” conducive investment climate” hence the mines will have no “excuse but to contribute to growing a stronger Zambian economy”.
Do they actually hear themselves talking and think they are talking about themselves or another government?
1.]they just flip flopped on mining tax three times
2.] they just created a vat tax confusion and cant account for it
3.] they messed up mine USD supply to the market killing the ZMK
4.] they have messed up the fiscal position in 6 months
5.] they want to borrow for 10yrs to cover 6months consumption
I mean am just saying….
We shall always find it hard to come up with sustainable plans that will benefit our people, because despite all this yapping, & promises, our leaders judgment is clouded by,
1. Widespread ingrained Corruption.
2. Quest to stay in power at all costs.
Truth be told, we are going nowhere in Zambia.
We are looking to the mines to uplift our society, but the reality of the situation is that that is Govt’s job. Put in place regulations that mean that the mines positively contribute and rigorously police them so that there are no transgressions of the regulations.
When a mine is proven to pollute a river hammer it with HEAVY sanctions, when a mine kills employees through negligence hammer it with HEAVY sanctions, when a mine is proven to be corrupt hammer it with HEAVY sanctions.
The point is that it is the Govt. that needs to police the mines and make sure that the regulations that have been signed up to are stringently followed. If they are not, no one will argue when Govt. goes for the jugular.
Twali igong’a zoona. Even the world is laughing at us. How could we leave out HH and go for that one? This borrowing has gotten out of proportion. Can some one put a halt to this. By the time election time comes, they will have over “over traded”
Clueless UPND carers always yapping nosense. They will complain about everything government does. Leave Eddy and PF alone to work. We can’t learn from you because all you do is oppose. When govt increased taxes you opposed, when they reduced you again opposed. You are the ones that are CNP. You make some of us feel like vomiting.
Copper price down today guys, below $2.57/lb
Remember $2.50/lb is the threshold for 50% of copper mines globally today
THE REAL CULPRIT OF THE MESS WE ARE IN IS RB. HE MESSED UP THE GOVERNANCE OF THIS COUNTRY, CAUSED CONFUSION IN WESTERN PROVINCE, ALLOWED HIS SONS AND DORA A FREE REIGN OF PLUNDER IN THE COUNTRY. NO WONDER K2BILLION WAS FOUND IN THE SON’S ACCOUNT. RB FALSELY TOLD PRESIDENT LUNGU THAT IF HE ACCEPTED HIS HELP TO WIN EASTERN PROVINCE, HE WOULD HELP HIM TO SORT OUT THE SHATTERED ECONOMY. BUT WHY DONT WE ZAMBIANS ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS? WHICH EXPERIENCE DOES RB HAVE OF RUNNING THE ECONOMY? RB’S EXPERIENCE IS THE UNIPIST SOCIAL COMMANDIST STYLE LIKE RAINBOW PARTY.
MMD LAID A GOOD FOUNDATION FOR THISE CONOMY BUT RB BROUGHT GREED AND DESTROYED IT AND MMD LOST ELECTIONS. GENUINIE MMD MEMBERS SHOULD RISE AND RALLY BEHIND NEVERS SO THAT WE SORT OUT THIS COUNTRY. MR LUNG IS AN HONEST MAN.
HE CLEARLY TOLD THE WHOLE NATION THAT HE DID NOT EXPECT TO BE PRESIDENT AND ALSO SAID HE HAS NO VISION FOR THIS COUNTRY. HOW CAN WE TURN AROUND AND BLAME HIM? HE IS A GENTLEMAN WHO HAS BEEN HOODWINKED BY A GREEDY OLD MAN.
ONLY MMD WILL SAVE US. OTHERWISE IF WE FAIL TO REALIZE THIS WE WILL BE DRIVEN MORE INTO SQUALOR. RB DOES NOT MEAN WELL FOR THIS COUNTRY. HE BREAKS THE LAW AT WILL. HE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE IN ACTIVE POLITICS, HE WAS ALSO BARRED FROM CONTESTING THE MMD PRESIDENCY BUT LOOK AT WHAT HE DOES? HE DOES NOT EVEN CARE WHAT LEGACY HE IS LEAVING FOR FUTURE PRESIDENTS. ZAMBIA HAS ALWAYS BEEN A MORAL VOICE TO SPEAK AGAINST GOVERNNACE SUCH AS HAPPENING IN UGANDA, RWANDA AND BURUNDI. BUT HE CANT TALK BECAUSE HE IS ALSO A VERY BIG CULPRIT AND HIM AND SONS ARE EATING.
Lungu is clueless. The man has not issued any policy direction since assuming power. The economy is in shambles. The kwacha is in free fall. No job creation. All we are seeing is heavy borrowing, corruption and unnecessary foreign trips. His government is spending money carelessly without regard to the poor masses. Surely zambia can find a healthy presidential candidate than this medical tourist who’s costing us millions of dollars for his cocktail of illnesses for nothing. Instead of addressing national problems he’s busy swallowing tablets in Joburg. Atase. Why was he elected?
In 1988 I was a fresh university graduate working for ZCCM. I needed a loan to buy a Jeans trousers! It is absolutely true that those days were hell!!
How long have we been waiting for this revised Act? Stop talking
Is this the same Lungu who reversed the royalty tax without makes an alternative plan to plug the whole in the budget? Now he is wondering why mines are not contributing enough.
Zoona ifintu niLungu!
No power in Kabangwe from 8 this morning. No word from anybody, and at complete variance with the official load shedding schedule released by Zesco. I am fed up
the economic is bad the government do samething