ACQUIRING TIMBER LICENCES VERY EXPENSIVE - MIYANDA
THE process of acquiring licences and permits for mining and timber trading for the local people is labourious and expensive, giving more advantages to foreigners who have money to get the documents and benefit from the country’s natural resources, governance activist Wesley Miyanda has said.
Mr Miyanda said it was very disheartening to note that a number of Zambians have ended up getting arrested and dying due to doing illegal timber trading and mining activities for failure to acquire valid documentation such as trading and mining licences.
He said Zambia was rated as one of the richest African countries endowed with natural resources such as minerals, arable land, water bodies and timber plantations, which if properly and transparently managed, the country would not be grappling with poverty in all its forms and high levels of unemployment.
Mr Miyanda said the government should remove all bottlenecks and other costs from the system so as to allow more people access those documents for them to participate fully and freely in the mining and timber industries.
He also said ownership was yet another critical thorn in the flesh which needs to be addressed by those in the corridors of power if the country was to have more Zambian youths and women participate in agricultural business and home ownership.
Mr Miyanda said the country has a lot of minerals which were being mined illegally a trend that lead to loss of lives in some cases and other people getting arrested.
“The government needs to come up with better strategies in order to make the industry legal and beneficial to all Zambians, especially our youths. There is no need to continue arresting and detaining Zambians for illegal mining and timber trading, whilst foreigners are allowed to do the business,” he said.
Mr Miyanda said natural resources should enrich the indigenous people as owners and the role of the government was to create an enabling environment for its citizens to take part in growing the national economy.