The government has given 90 days amnesty to small scale and artisanal mines to formalise and legalise their operations by obtaining mining licenses.

Minister of Mines and Minerals Development, Paul Kabuswe, says the 90 days amnesty will help to curtail all illegal miners who are involved in mining various minerals, including gold, gemstone, copper and many others in different parts of the country.

Mr. Kabuswe warns that any small scale and artisanal miner who will be found operating illegally after the ninety days amnesty will be prosecuted.

He was speaking at a media briefing today in Lusaka where he announced the 90 days amnesty which starts today, October 17, 2022 up to January 2023.

“We want to curtail any illegalities in the mining sector especially among the small-scale miners and the artisan miners who are involved in mining various minerals across the country,” he said.

He explained that this move has been taken following the allocation of funds to the sector in the proposed 2023 national budget for the formalisation of the small-scale and artisanal mining sector.

“Therefore, we encouraged small scale miners to form cooperatives in order to help them operate in a systematic and formal way so that they can gain good profit,’’ said Mr. Kabuswe.

And Mr. Kabuswe has announced that the cadastre department will be reopened on Wednesdays 19, 2022 for licensing of all mines following approval by Cabinet.

Mr. Kabuswe stated that the Cabinet also approved that every mining company will be restricted to an initial number of five licenses.

Those that have more than five licenses will be required to justify why they should be given more licenses.

He said his ministry will slowly put in place a standard statutory instrument (SI) that will restrict the number of licenses that a mining company should obtain to avoid speculations by those with too many licenses.

‘’We as a government are not going to allow any particular individual or company to have 40 or 50 licenses alone. Going forward that is not going to be accepted because we want sanity in the mining sector,’’ said Mr. Kabuswe.

He explained that the reason for the restriction to five licenses only is because a lot of licenses were used for purposes of speculating.

Copperbelt Province Minister Elisha Matambo is encouraging more youths to form cooperatives in order to access Government empowerment aimed at improving the local economy.

Mr. Matambo said access Government empowerment is key to business establishment and expansion.

He said the New Dawn government has allocated funds for youth empowerment through Constituency Development Fund
(CDF).

Mr. Matambo was speaking when Prison Fellowship Zambia empowered newly trained tailors with 50 sewing machines during their graduation at Kawama Catholic Church in Ndola on the Copperbelt Province.

The Copperbelt Minister, who officiated at the graduation as guest of honour, highlighted the importance of skills development.

“It is an honor and privilege for me to be the guest of honour at this graduation ceremony where fifty (50) graduands who have gone through the required skills training to achieve this milestone where you are being awarded with certificates today.I am informed that though this is the 1st graduation ceremony, prison fellowship vocation training centre has graduated over 1000 graduates since 2003. It is also gratifying to note that those graduating today are also being empowered with sewing machine each from Prison Fellowship Zambia revolving fund in order for them to immediately venture into entrepreneurial journey of a lifetime.Greatness can be seen even before it manifests. I see before me graduands full of smiles, joy and ambition. It is my hope that this joy is not merely premised upon acquiring a certificate but actually getting set to make this world a better place.You have been trained in tailoring and designing, that’s why you are graduating today. As I observe you;I see the next fashion designer who will make Zambia proud. I see someone launch a new brand of garments that is proudly Zambian and African.l see all possibilities plastered on your faces,” Mr. Matambo said.

“To the graduating students today. We all have a natural admiration for entrepreneurs, especially those that have made it big, but none of us is usually ready for the true story of their journey. This story is premised on some key pillars which I shall quickly share with you.First – is discipline. Today’s youth are short of this. You want to wake up at your convenience, get to work at your convenience, earn big, spend like a multi-billionaire, be popular and have the world at your feet. Discipline is what makes you retain customers for your business simply because you always deliver as promised. Discipline is what allows your capital to grow because you prioritize it adequately.Second – is vision. This is a word spoken by many but utilized by few. As you embark upon your journey, I am sure you have a vision deep inside of you. That vision is one you should never give up on. Work towards it. Third – is commitment. Without commitment, there’s no success. Everyone basking in glory today has shown a high level of commitment to what they do. It doesn’t matter whether your success is overnight or not, commitment is the constant.Fourth – is bandwagon. Society has made us always desire the approval of others. Even a business idea we have come up with, is always subjected to the approval of those around us. While in some cases it is a good thing, I tell you here and now that most times it’s not good for entrepreneurs,” he said.

Mr. Matambo added:”There will always be challenges in your entrepreneurship journey and this may not be the time to delve into the details. However, I want your attitude towards challenges to change. Challenges are opportunities in waiting.Sixth – is time. Today’s generation of youths is the fastest generation. You want to get money, that house, a car, a lovely wife or husband, promotion, big sales all in a flash. That is not how good and lasting things come your way. That business you start today might take 3, 5, 10 or even 15 years to blossom. You just need to give it time and remain committed to it.Seventh – is failure. Failure is one thing that is demonized nearly everywhere, especially in the education system. For sure, no one wants to hear that this and that has failed. It gets so bad that most of us live life avoiding failure and this has killed our creativity. Failure is a steppingstone to success. Do not look at it with contempt.Eighth – is success. This is what drives us. Unfortunately, many look at it as an end point yet in reality, success is a journey. You aren’t successful because you have bought a car or acquired a house. Be careful about success that comes quickly, it is most likely no different from a house built on sand. This is the kind of success that makes one go into oblivion as fast as they came onto the scene.To the parents and guardians gathered here today, your generation believed in seeking employment from government and probably investing in real estate.”

In this new era, government jobs are as scarce as the white rhino, sit down with your children, and promote their talents by investing in their business ideas. You just might be surprised that the next big cloth factory business is in the mind of your child that is graduating today.The new dawn government through the leadership of his Excellence the Republican President Mr. Hakainde Hichilema has allocated funds for youth empowerment through the CDF. I am encouraging you to form cooperatives so you can access these funds for your business establishment and expansion.In conclusion, may I express my profound gratitude for being invited to officiate at the 1st graduation ceremony, I will be failing in my duties if I don’t extend my appreciation to Prison Fellowship Zambia Management and staff who have made it possible for these young men and women to have their trades,” Mr. Matambo concluded.

Prison Fellowship Zambia Executive Director Teddy Mweetwa said the training is aimed at empowering inmates, ex-inmates, families and the vulnerable in society.

“Prison fellowship Zambia is currently providing skills training programs in the Correctional facilities and communities, in tailoring and computer skills.Prison Fellowship Zambia with financial support from hope bearer foundation is running tailoring project at Kansenshi, Luanshya Correctional facilities, Mushili and Kawama Catholic Parish.These trainings are meant to equip inmates, ex-inmates, their spouses and their families to basically acquire skills which will help them to continue earning a living even when the bread-winner is incarcerated in the correctional facilities.The training is meant to empower them with knowledge and skills for survival purposes.Ladies and gentlemen, I want to remind you, in case you didn’t know, that tailoring skill is a life skill – meaning for life. – Ladies and gentlemen, I want to make mention that Prison Fellowship Zambia believes that inmates, ex-inmates like everyone else has the potential to do wonders if well supported.To graduating students, you are graduating today; you are receiving your beautiful certificates this morning. It’s your precious moment and time of joy for you all. Please go and make use of the knowledge which you have acquired here. You have completed your race and you ran it successfully,” Mr. Mweetwa said.

He told the tailors to be honest in their dealings.

“As you go to serve the people out there, please attend to your clients and customers in good time and in a faithful manner, I know tailors, Radio and TV repairs are always put in the same whatsapp group. The reason is that they delay in completing the task, please be different yourselves. You have been trained as specialized tailors so take care of your families, be of service to the people out there.Master of Ceremony sir, may I take this opportunity to thank the trainer and all staff for Prison Fellowship Zambia for their capability and Management for ensuring that the training was done successfully.Master of ceremony; allow me now to appreciate the guest of honour for dedicating his precious time to come to officiate at this important graduation today.To Prison Fellowship Zambia Management; staff May I simply say well done for facilitating this 1st Graduating ceremony. I know it was not an easy task.4 May, I thank our donor (Hope Bearer Foundation) for providing the much needed resources which enabled this training to be completed and the graduation which we are witnessing today,” Mr. Mweetwa said.

He concluded:”As Prison Fellowship Zambia we spent a good amount of money to train you, purchase these sewing machines which we giving you today.Today we are giving them to you so you can start doing tailoring projects in your home, markets etc. I want to state categorically that these machines were bought from revolving fund from Prison Fellowship Zambia. As you are all aware that you will need to repay back the amount of money which we bought them. Once you pay back the money we shall plough it back and buy more sewing machines to enable the class of 2022 intake to also receive sewing machines at the next graduation next year. The same way we have given you today.”

Zambia says the number of mining licences that a company can hold at a time will be restricted to five to curb speculative purchases within the country’s licensing system.

The ministry of mines in February suspended the issuance of mining licences and commissioned an audit in response to public complaints about a lack of transparency.

“Every miner will be restricted to five licences and those that need more will have to justify it,” Mines Minister Paul Kabuswe said during a briefing on mining regulations.

“We have had a lot of licences being used for speculative purposes and we want to curtail that,” Kabuswe said.

He did not name the companies holding more than five licenses but said those should get in touch with the Ministry.

The audit revealed that some companies owned as many as 50 licences.

It also found that some were not registered with Zambia’s patents and companies registration agency and may not be paying tax.

The licensing department, which was expected to re-open on April 11, will resume work on Oct. 19, Mr. Kabuswe added.

He also said illegal miners would be given 90 days of amnesty to register with the ministry of mines.

Mr. Kabuswe said the review of the mining sector was in order to encourage more investment and increase the participation of Zambians in the mineral value chain.

He said restricting the number of mining licensing per entity will ensure that international companies wishing to acquire mining rights, partner with Zambians or companies owned by Zambians.

Government  says  it  is in the process of recommending for the re-gazetting   of the forest 27 as it is an important recharge area that needs protection.

The development means that each person who has constructed structures in the area will have to explain how they found themselves in the protected area.

Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources  Minister Elijah Muchima who disclosed when a Ministerial committee toured the forest 27 in Chongwe district that  despite being advised by the ad-hoc committee to stop their development activities in the area most individuals have remained adamant.

“ People who were told to halt the construction of their structures in the forest reserve have continued and that investigation by the ad hoc committee is still ongoing and a report on the matter has been received, “ said the minister.

He said Government needs to manage forest 27 because it can regenerate and be restored to its original form over the years.

However, it’s the area the elite in society have exploited to set up state of the art structure overlooking the environmental well-being of  the Capital City.

“This forest can still regenerate and restored to its original form and this is why as Government we want to see how best to handle this matter in order to protect the environment, ” Mr. Muchima.

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Garry Nkombo has also urged Zambians to avoid buying land at the forest and doing so will be at their risk.

Mr NKombo noted that people who have constructed houses  in the forest will be invited to bring all their documents to find out the time they commenced construction of the structures either when the forest was de-gazetted or before the time of de-gazetting.

He said they will find out from the people who have constructed in the forest area what motivated them to commence developments in the forest area.

Mr Nkombo said all their development plans will be assessed to find out which authority gave them the right to build in the recharge area ( Forest 27)  and also to find out how they acquired the properties they have constructed.

“Anyone who is buying land now from forest 27 is doing it at his or her  own risk and is appealing to the local authority to stop approving any building plan in this area,” Mr Nkombo said.

He further advised the Ministry of Land to stop issuing any title deed to any person intending to construct a building in forest 27 until all the matters are addressed.

 Minister of Water Development and Sanitation Mike Mposha said the issue of forest 27 is still alive as they have been having inter- Ministerial meetings to address the matter concerning the challenge of the forest.

Mr Mpoha pointed out he is concerned with the damage that has been caused to Forest 27 because it is the recharge for Chalimbana River which is important for the people in Chongwe.

He said if nothing is done to protect forest 27 the province is going to have serious problems because the forest was earmarked as a recharge zone.

Technology and Science Minister Felix Mutati says the government is determined to see to it that Zambia never again defaults on its loan obligations.

Mr Mutati said it is embarrassing to be labelled as a defaulter even at personal level adding that government is now engaging at the highest level with its creditors to discuss the current debt.

He said as a government, it has resolved that never again is going to be in a league of defaulters as a country.

Mr Mutati was speaking over the weekend when he graced the annual Money Summit which brought together some of Africa’s leading financial, corporate and entrepreneurial experts to share their knowledge around finances and financial success.

The goal of this summit was to enlighten participants practical ways on how to manage, grow and protect their money as well as passing it on to future generations as it is a wholesome approach to financial literacy.

Mr Mutati said at the government level, the worst is over as the new dawn administration has made a position to change on how the country behaves regarding money.

“We are saying money must be spent on priorities that change people’s lives unlike being wasteful. It must be invested to transform the people’s lives,” he said.

“On the other end, unless the private sector makes money, government will not make money. It is for this reason we have put a framework that enables the private sector to make money, hence stabilizing the exchange rate and inflation. When the exchange rate and inflation is stable, the private sector can then make profits,” he said.

He added, “We must also remember that if we want to make money, the principle of collaboration and partnership which we call Ubuntu should be paramount.”