Govt extends deadline for application for new timber concessions
THE deadline for applica tion of new timber conces sions has been extended by a month, from May 31, 2022 to June, 30 2022, Minister of Green Economy and Envi ronment. Collins Nzovu. has said.
“Following the advertise ment that was published on April 14, 2022 calling for ap plications for new concession licences, various stakehold ers have raised concerns that they may fail to fulfil the re quirements by the deadline.
It is against this back ground that, in the spirit of being inclusive and econom ically empowering Zambians, the government has extended the deadline,” Mr Nzovu said.
He said applicants are encouraged to satisfy all re quirements of the applica tion process and submit the same to the various offices of the Forestry Department across the country as they wait for the decision letter for their Environmental Project Brief (EPB) from the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA).
Mr Nzovu said after the close of the application peri od on June 30, 2022, the min istry will proceed with evalu ation of the applications.
He said concession licenc
es will, by law, only be is sued to successful applicants upon submission of a deci sion letter from ZEMA and an approved EPB.
“The ministry further wishes to inform the public that no timber concession licence shall be issued in a game management area without the express written consent of the Department of National Parks and Wildlife.
The ministry remains available to work with all stakeholders in improving service delivery and ensuring a speedy transformation of the country to a green econ omy,” Mr Nzovu said.