Manufacturers' body, ZAM, calls for strong local content law

Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM ) has called for a strong local content law to expand the participation of locals in the mining value chain.

ZAM vice president, Fronscen Haloba, said in Kitwe on Thursday during the 2023 ZAM Mining Local Content Conference that there was need for interventions to increase local participation in mining business.

“According to the 2019 African Development Bank(AfDB) report, out of the US$4 billion mining annual spend, locals only get less than 15 percent which calls for efforts to increase local participation, ” Haloba said.

Mines and Mineral Development Minister, Paul Kabuswe, said in a speech read for him by assistant director Canisius Mwenya that the government would like to see more locals get business from the mines.

He said this was the reason government ‘tinkered’ with the mining taxes to make competitive and encourage increased copper production to three million tonnes in a decade.

“The mining sector continues to be the backbone of the Zambian economy with a contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of over 10 percent and export earnings at over 70 percent, hence the need for robust local content laws,” he said.

The annual conference has attracted participation from the academia, mining companies and the civil society organizations to discuss the importance of local content policies.

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