Group urges African governments to protect local mining interests

African governments need to implement deliberate policies and legislation to empower local populations to manage emerald mines and prevent the sector from being dominated by foreign investors, according to Musa Kafimbwa, President of the Emerald Production Watch of Zambia (EPWZ).

Kafimbwa expressed concern that despite Africa’s wealth of minerals, the continent continued to struggle with poverty and hunger, while former colonizers return as investors and extract significant profits from the region’s mineral resources.

“Unless African governments put in place necessary pieces of legislature, policies and measures that will help to empower Africans to run the emerald mines, the sector will be swallowed by foreign investors,” Kafimbwa said in an interview in Lusaka on Thursday.

He added that: “Governments must take keen interest in the challenges facing the small-scale miners and possibly come to their aid by providing support in terms of linkages and capital so that they can develop their own mines, create employment and generate business opportunities for the local people.”

Kafimbwa highlighted the challenges faced by small-scale miners, noting that due to a lack of capital and equipment, many mining licenses have remained dormant.

“Most licenses for small-scale miners have been dormant, while others have decided to sell their licenses to those who had the capacity to run the mines,” he said.

He further pointed out that when profits were made, they were often taken outside Zambia, leaving locals in poverty.

“When they make the profits, they take it outside Zambia, leaving Zambians wallowing in poverty and hunger,” Kafimbwa emphasized.

Kafimbwa’s call for action underscored the need for African governments to protect and empower local mining interests, ensuring that the continent’s mineral wealth benefits its people rather than being drained by foreign investors.

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