POLITICAL WILL A MUST TO PROMOTE AFRICAN LINKAGES - EMERALDS CHIEF

AFRICAN leaders must provide political will for the creation of linkages that will help their respective countries to add value to minerals and other raw materials which are being exported to Europe in raw form, Emerald and Semi-Precious Minerals Association of Zambia (ESMAZ) President Victor Kalesha has said

Mr Kalesha said there was need to create linkages in Africa that will promote value addition to the various raw materials which were being produced in the continent.

He noted that failure to add value to the raw materials like Copper, Gold, Emeralds and other minerals has resulted into the loss of revenue by the continent and respective countries

Linkages refers to the existence or forming of a connection between two or more things so that one thing happening or changing depends on the other thing happening or changing

Mr Kalesha said his organisation will be attending the African Union (AU) meetings on value chains in Kenya starting from November 29 to December t, 2022 and the issue of value chain will be one of the critical topics to be discussed

Mr Kalesha said his organisation has decided to embark on a project to partner with organisations in other countries, adding ESMAZ was in the process of meeting President Hakainde Hichilema on the same issue because the whole project needed political will

“We are in the process of meeting the Head of State and we are calling upon the Head of State to engage us, the small scale miners in Zamba and then create linkages with us in other countries. So we want to create linkages where we will be taking our emerald may be into Ghana and Ghana will put up their Gold

“And then we add value to the Gold from Ghana , we add value to the emerald, but this needs some form of political will where governments will get involved. We are attending the African Unions meetings on value chains in Kenya starting from November 29 to December 1st, 2022 and this will be one of the critical topics to be discussed,’’ Mr Kalesha said

He said the whole project was aimed at promoting Africa and ensuring that its natural resources benefit the continent and its respective countries.

Mr Kalesha urged African business executives and proprietors of various companies to support the project because it was aimed at “celebrating Africa, celebrating Zambian by adding value to its raw materials so that it stops getting a raw deal from its natural resources

He said a renowned Kitwe businessman and proprietor of Grizzly Mining Limited Abdoulaye Ndiaye popularly known as ‘ Gunnase has clearly shown that an African can run an emerald mine

“As ESMAZ, we have embarked on a project dubbed African should celebrate Africa and Zambia should celebrate Zambia. This entails that we are encouraging African investors to invest in our rich minerals resources, to extract our rich mineral resources so that we are not exploited by the West

“I’m urging African and Zambians business executives not to shun this project, but support it or else, if we shun it, we will continue to be exploited by the west. It is good that a renowned Kitwe businessman and proprietor of Grizzly Mining Limited Abdoulaye Ndiaye popularly known as ‘Gunnase has clearly shown that an African can run an emerald, mine,’’ Mr Kalesha said.