Zim outlines blueprint to value-add minerals

HARARE - The National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), the Government’s newly announced economic blueprint covering the period 2021 to 2025, aims to drive the beneficiation of five key minerals during its five-year period to enhance socio-economic development.

NDS1, which was launched by President Mnangagwa on Monday, last week, will target beneficiation of key minerals gold; platinum group metals (PGMs), chrome, diamond and coals.

This also comes against the realisation that most facilities for the beneficiation of minerals, which are a finite resource, in the country either lie idle or are underutilised. These include Fidelity Printers and Refiners, Alaska Copper Refinery, Bindura Nickel Corporation refinery and Kwekwe Roasting Plant.

Government has identified mining as one of the key anchors of economic growth over the short to medium term towards upper middle income status by 2030 and has lined up policy measures to grow mining from a US$2.3 billion industry to a US$12 billion sector by 2023.

According to the NDS1 strategy document, which takes over the Transitional Stabilisation Programme

(TSP) and runs its full course at the end of next month, Zimbabwe exports most of its mineral raw. NDS1 intends to build on the successes and has achieved under the TSP, which was adopted in October 2018.

Mooted plans for mineral beneficiation, the NDS1 document says, align with vision for national reindustrialisation, the Southern African

Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Mining and the Africa Mining Vision.

During NDS1, mineral value chains are expected to play a crucial facilitation role towards national reindustrialisation to build a strong integrated economy. Zimbabwe has more than 40 minerals whose commercial viability has been demonstrated over the years.

Centralised gold service centres will be established during the NDS1 period and small-scale miners will be capacitated through the mining industry loan fund to reduce use of mercury in line with Minamata convention dictates. Gold mining accounts for more than 30 percent of Zimbabwe’s annual mineral exports and has historically been the bedrock of mining and national socio- economic development.

The new economic blueprint targets establishment of a PGMs value chain from concentrate and matte to base metal refinery, where nickel, copper and cobalt will be produced.

Zimbabwe currently has three PGMs producers namely Unki Mines, Zimplats and Mimosa Mining

Company. Several others are either at exploration or mine development stages.

Zimbabwe hosts the world’s largest known reserve of chrome ore deposits of high quality, best suited for metallurgical processes such as steel manufacturing, but most of it is exported raw.

Government contends that the establishment of processing plants will enhance job creation initiatives, generate foreign currency, and catapult the nation towards steel manufacturing. – THE HERALD, Zimbabwe.