DRAFT GOLD PLAN, IMPLORES THINK TANK

THE

recent discoveries of Gold in Mwinilunga, Rufunsa, and Petauke provide an opportunity for the government to draft and execute a gold game plan that will benefit the Zambians, Centre for Trade Policy and Development (CTPD) has said.

CTPD executive director Isaac Mwaipopo said Government should quickly come up with gold game plan that would ensure Zambians fully benefit from the resource.

He commended Government for the bold steps taken so far in securing the areas where gold mining was being undertaken, citing Kansenseli in Mwinilunga as one such area.

“This step has greatly helped in eliminating illegal gold mining activities. Securing these places is an important strategic step that culminates in generating the right plan for the gold mining sector,” he said.

He said the government had also taken the right step through ZCCM-IH to undertake exploration activities in Mwinilunga. Mr Mwaipopo said his organisation supports this initiative because CTPD was of the view that it was the guaranteed route that would provide the much-needed information to guide any potential investment. Mr Mwaipopo said it would help the government negotiate better mining deals with multi-national corporations.

“We cannot begin to talk about a resource and its potential for alleviating poverty if the reserves are not known both by tonnage and quality,” he said.

Mr. Mwaipopo stressed that Government needs to handle the process of gold mining in a consultative and transparent manner. He noted that in the case of Mwinilunga, government needs to engage with the community to help them understand its game plan for the gold mining sector.

‘’It will be unfair for the people of Mwinilunga to see companies undertaking diamond drilling without being engaged. Any mining activity requires a social licence for it