By OLIVER SAMBOKO
GOVERNMENT call to investors at the ongoing Dubai business expo to come to Zambia to venture into Gold mining instead of empowering Zambians is scandalous, a small scale Miner, Milner Mambwe has charged.
Mr Mambwe also charged that giving out the mining of gold to foreign interest is tantamount to auctioning the country to foreigners who have for a long time milked the country out of its rich mineral.
“Earnings from the Gold subsector alone, is enough for Zambia to finance various social and economic activities. So why the government should be allowed to start inviting foreigners to come and benefit from our resource when we can do it on our own,” he said.
On Thursday, Minister of Mines Paul Kabuswe who was part of President Hakainde Hichilema’s delegation at the 2022 Dubai business expo invited potential investors to come to Zambia to Mine and process Gold which is abundance.
Mr Mambwe said the country should be ashamed that instead of letting citizens to take up mining and processing of the high value minerals, for a long time, foreigners have been the ones benefiting from the country’s mineral resources.
He said while there is nothing wrong for government to woo investors in different sectors of the economy, the Gold mining sub-sector and other precious minerals should be reserved for locals.
Mr Mambwe said instead of wooing foreign investors, there is need for the new deal government to empower Zambians by providing capital and equipment to local mining companies.
