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Former miner and business executive, George Jere, has said that the government should move in and organise the sugilite mining industry for the country to start getting benefits.
On Wednesday, President Hakainde Hichilema fired Luapula Minister, Derrick Chilundika, who had also been arrested for illegal mining of the sugilite mineral ore.
But Jere said in an interview that a lasting solution should be found for the country to start getting benefits from that national asset.
“President Hichilema should not only end at firing those involved in sugilite scandals but ensure that the industry is reorganised for the country to start gaining benefits,” he said.
Read more : Three arrested for being in possession of suspected sugilite mineral ore, criminal trespass
Jere said the government should as a matter of urgency give out licenses to locals thus ending illegal mining of sugilite, which had been going on for a long time.
“How many government officials are going to be fired and arrested for involving themselves in illegal mining of sugilite? The government should give out licenses to stop illegal mining of sugilite and other minerals,” he said.
Jere claimed the government had been preoccupied with International Monetary Fund (IMF) issues and debt restructuring forgetting that the answer to the debt and economic challenges may lie in exploiting mineral resources like sugilite, gold and emerald.
He said the government needs to go in and carry out geological mapping to know the extent of sugilite mineral endowment.
“We do not know to what extent sugilite is, we need to explore the area and come up with latest estimates of the sugilite quantities for ease of planning and attracting investments,” Jere said.
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