Small-scale miners lobby for support

THE implementation of laws aimed at protecting small scale miners has been a major challenge, and therefore negatively affecting the growth the sector, Small Scale Miners Association of Zambia President Kunda Chani has said.

Mr Chani said Government should engage cooperating partners and lobby for funds to help small scale miners for them to enhance their operations.

He said in an interview yesterday that Government had formulated laws to protect small scale miners but the implementation process had been a challenge which had made the sector to continue grappling.

“I think the big issue which we really want Government to address come 2021 is the issue of implementing these policies which have been written but have never been actualised and it is affecting the sector.

“We do complain to the ministry but it will take a longer period of time for the issue to be addressed. These are the things which need to be looked into so that the miners can be protected and be able to do their mining activities without any interference,” he said.

Mr Chani said Government should mobilise for resources for the small-scale miners in order for them to enhance their operations.

The association president indicated that the European Union had empowerment programmes for small scale miners.

He said that small scale miners in countries like Tanzania were now large scale miners because the Government had been able to get resources from cooperating partners.