New mining reforms coming – Yaluma

Fri, 09 Feb 2018 09:31:41 +0000

By BUUMBA CHIMBULU

GOVERNMENT will introduce new mining reforms in May this year meant to enhance local content minerals, Minister of mines, Christopher Yaluma has announced.

Mr. Yaluma said these reforms were meant to promote transparency in the mining sector, particularly in the local content minerals.

“There are mining reforms around local content “coming up”, towards May 2018, and that they would be subject to a full consultative process. The mining industry would be given multiple opportunities to comment and provide input. We want to be very open now – it is an open game,” he said.

Mr. Yaluma believed that Zambia was capable of growing its copper annual production to one or two million tonnes if there was an end to the distrust between the mining sector and Government which was hampering the performance.

He told Mining for Zambia recently during the annual Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa that Government and the mines needed to focus on the same goal, which was to up production.

“You must start talking, doing things transparently. Embrace the industry, and get their input. Do not come and surprise them the following morning and say we have changed this.

“That will impact their long-term projections. But when there is trust and they believe you, they can start to plan and grow their business, which in turn will grow our (tax) proceeds,” Mr. Yaluma said.

He emphasised that dialogue, cooperation and consultation between Government and the mining industry were critical in helping alleviate the trust deficit between the two and to grow Zambia’s production.