By Thomas Chidamba in Bulawayo
The country, heavily reliant on mining for the much needed foreign currency is prioritising the beneficiation and value addition of its mineral resources to get maximum benefits from its huge mineral endowment, a cabinet Minister has said.
Minister of Mines and Mining Development Honourable Winston Chitando, in a speech read on his behalf by his deputy minister Polite Kambamura here during the Mine Entra Conference at the Zimbabwe International Exhibition Centre, said Government was urging mining companies to add value to their minerals.
Minister Chitando was the key note speaker at the conference and addressed delegates on ‘Accelerating Zimbabwe’s Mining future to 2030: A policy perspective.’
This year’s premier mining, transport and engineering event was under the theme: “Resourcing the future: Exploring and leveraging mining potential.”
Minister Chitando said it was Government’s thrust to ensure that the country exports locally beneficiated and value added minerals.
“In line with the Transitional stabilisation Programme, Government’s thrust is to ensure that the country exports locally beneficiated and value added minerals, which fetch more on the international markets than their raw form.
“The country, heavily reliant on mining for the much needed foreign currency is, therefore, prioritising the beneficiation and value addition of its mineral resources to get maximum benefits from its huge mineral endowment.
“It is our hope that investment in the smelters and other mineral beneficiation facilities by the companies will increase with firming investor confidence in response to the country’s Zimbabwe is Open for Business agenda,” he said.
Minister Chitando said the mineral beneficiation and value addition will help in achieving a revenue of $12 billion set by Government for mining sector by 2030.
“Local beneficiation and value addition will go a long way in facilitating inclusive growth through modernisation and industrialisation as Zimbabwe progresses towards an upper middle income economy by 2030.
“The Government of Zimbabwe is working on ensuring that the mining sector generates revenue of $12 billion by 2030.
“Government is, therefore, putting strategies that leverage on a viable and sustainable mining sector in order to achieve these important milestones,” he said.
Minister Chitando said that the Government is implementing ease of doing business reforms by removing bottlenecks in the Transitional Stabilisation Programme.
“The Government is aggressively implementing ease of doing business reforms by removing bottlenecks that delay the flow of business, the mining sector included.
“The current leadership, under His Excellency Cde ED Mnangagwa, under the new dispensation is charting a new path with a reform agenda, aimed at ensuring the country assures confidence in both current and potential investors.
“The Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP) seeks to put the economy on a recovery path through enhanced mineral exploration, opening of the new mines, reopening of closed mines, increased capacity utilisation mine expansion programmes, local beneficiation and value addition and inclusive growth of all sectors of the economy,” he said.
Minister Chitando said that Government was keen to address challenges facing the mining sector which is a key driver of the economy.
“The country continues to leverage on its abundant and diversified mineral endowment and nation continues to rely on experts in the sector to ensure optimum development and sustainability throughout the value chain.
“Despite all efforts dome to ensure that the mining sector continues to anchor the national economy, more still needs to be done in order to ensure that the country achieves vision 2030.
“In that regard, Government is seized with addressing challenges facing the mining sector, such as through the ease of doing business reforms,” he said.
Cde Chitando said that there was political will, at highest level, to ensure sustainable development in the mining sector and the national economy for the mutual benefit between the Zimbabwean citizenry and the investors.
