BY MTHANDAZO NYONI
GOVERNMENT is in the process of crafting mineral specific policies for chromium, diamond and gold, among others, in order to support and facilitate envisaged sustainable mineral development.
Addressing delegates attending the Mine Entra conference in Bulawayo last week, Mines and Mining Development deputy minister Polite Kambamura said in order to support and facilitate envisaged sustainable mineral development, government, through his ministry, was in the process of crafting various mineral specific policies.
These include diamond, chromium development, gold development and coal development policies.
Diamond policy has already been firmed and approved by Cabinet, he said.
“I can assure all here present that there is political will, at the highest level, to ensure sustainable development in the mining sector and the national economy for the mutual benefit between the Zimbabwean citizenry and investors,” Kambamura said.
He said Zimbabwe was under-explored and has not been subjected to modern exploration techniques for new discoveries.
In that regard, government, through the ministry, was now actively processing Exclusive Prospecting Orders (EPOs) applications to facilitate exploration activities in the country.
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“These exploration initiatives will assist in the opening of new mines, expansion of existing operations and resuscitation of old mines, leading to increased production, creation of employment and the general improvement of living standards of communities and the nation at large,” Kambamura said.
He also said Zimbabwe was a competitive mining economy from a geology and mineral potential perspective, but weak from a technology, production cost and capacity point of view.
“In this regard, government is promoting this initiative, including the facilitation of competent investment such as the Karo Platinum project and various joint venture partnerships with leading global mining companies such as Alrosa of Russia in the case of diamonds,” he said.
