Pfungwa Kunaka takes to office
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has appointed Mr Pfungwa Kunaka as the new Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development.
He takes over from Mr Onesimo Mazai Moyo who left the post on July 31 following his retirement.
Before the latest appointment, Mr Kunaka, who is an economist by training, was with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development as the chief director responsible for expenditure Management.
Mr Kunaka holds a Bsc Degree in Economics and has served Government in various positions in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development as an economist, chief economist revenue expenditure; director National budgeting; chief director resource mobilisation; chief director fiscal policy and advisory services and his recent post as chief director, expenditure management which he held since 2007.
The appointment of Mr Kunaka comes as the mining industry is pushing hard to reach the target of US$12 billion by next year, a goal that remains certain, judging by the continued momentum across key sub-sectors, and the newly commissioned signature projects covering different mineral segments.
The country’s mining sector is registering unprecedented growth for the first time in history.
Earnings in the sector jumped to US$5,2 billion in 2021 from about US$2,9 billion in 2017, as positive gains continued to be realised from the Government’s economic reform agenda.
Official statistics already indicate that the mining sector is poised to clock US$8 billion in earnings this year, having already surpassed US$6 billion in June.
Some of the anchor projects in the mining sector include the expansion of Zimplats and Unki platinum mines, the re-opening of Eureka Gold Mine, Shamva Gold Mine, Rio-Zim Cam and Motor Biox Gold Plant Expansion Project, Radnor Mine, and most recently, the Sinomine Bikita Minerals Lithium project and the Arcadia Lithium Mine.