Govt committed to support small scale miners
OWN CORRESPONDENT
Government is committed to supporting the artisanal and small-scale miners given their significant contribution to the country ‘s mining sector, Ministry of Mines and Mining Development Minister, Zhemu Soda has said.
About 60% of the gold delivered to Fidelity Gold Refinery, the country’s sole buyer and marketer of the yellow metal, comes from small-scale mining, which makes a substantial contribution to the GDP of the nation.
According to Soda, the ministry will keep pressing the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion, for more funding for the small miners.
“Government of Zimbabwe is committed to the development of the artisanal and small scale miners sector and we have come up with various support mechanisms.
These include the Gold Development Fund where the Fidelity Gold Refinery has been disbursing loans in order to capacitate our small-scale miners.
“In addition, the Ministry also runs the Mining Industry Loan Fund (MILF) where miners are financed to procure equipment through a revolving fund. I urge you all to honour your debt to make this facility a success. The Ministry will continue lobbying the Ministry of Finance , Economic Development and Investment Promotion to increase funding of this noble facility,” he said.
According to Soda, the role that small-scale miners have played in the mining industry’s performance in recent years cannot be overstated, given their greater dominance in the extraction of gold, chrome, and semi-precious stones.
“For the period January to September this year, small scale miners contributed 13.8 tonnes of gold delivered to Fidelity, representing about 61% of total production. I urge you to continue with the hard work spirit in order for us to reach the reviewed target of 36 tonnes for this year,” he said.
He added:”Apart from national economic development, the sector has emerged as a source of livelihoods for many people given the huge numbers involved. The sector therefore plays a key role in poverty alleviation which is deliverable under the Sustainable Development Goals.
