Mine contractors call for tripartite meeting with investors, govt to seek way forward for industry

Mine contractors and suppliers have called for a tripartite meeting with foreign investors and government to resolve problems and challenges being faced in the industry.

Association of Mine Suppliers and Contractors (AMSC) president, Coster Mwaba, said having a roundtable meeting was the best way to resolve the problems and challenges which local contractors and suppliers were facing in doing business with foreign investors.

Mwaba said in an interview on Friday that a roundtable meeting would enable all parties to agree the best way forward and offer solutions on how business could be conducted.

He alleged that when foreign investors met government officials, they promised a lot of things yet they were doing things which were making business difficult for local contractors and suppliers.

In most mining companies, he said, suppliers and contractors were struggling to get orders and contracts while payments were also a being delayed, a situation which had been affecting the smooth operations of mine suppliers and contractors.

“The problem is that these investors or mining companies they tell you good stories when you meet them as if everything is smooth, but when you come to us, we also tell you something else, contrary to what they tell you. So the best thing is to have a round table meeting so that we iron out everything,” Mwaba said.

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