• They need to provide incentives to the small scale mining sector.
• Ministries of Finance, Commerce, and Mines should go into negotiations with companies that are providing equipment.
• Government should drive an agenda to make sure the country increases the level of machinery on the small scale mining sector.
Small Scale Miners Association of Zambia has called on government to consider providing machinery to the small scale mining sector to enable the country increase Copper production this year to very high levels.
Association President Kunda Chani told Money FM News in an interview that Ministries of Finance, Commerce and Mines should go into negotiations with companies that are providing equipment for them to offer incentives in form of equipment so that small scale miners have the leverage.
Mr. Chani said government should drive an agenda to increase the level of machinery on the small scale mining sector by allowing companies to become friends with the sector and provide them with the necessary equipment.
He noted that it is not easy for the miners to access incentives from Commercial banks, especially now that the Bank of Zambia has increased interest rate by 05 percent, making borrowing even more challenging.
“As an Association, our appeal to government if we are going to increase production in 2021 to very high levels, they need to provide incentives to the small scale mining sector. What incentives are we talking about? We are not talking about Money, Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Commerce together with Ministry of Mines should try and go into negotiations with companies that are providing equipment, they should provide incentives so that small scale miners have the leverage either using banks.”
“It is a headache to use banks in our country unfortunately, the Bank of Zambia had just informed us that the base rate or interest rate had been increased by 05 percent which makes borrowing even more challenging with the complication that comes with the bank,” Mr. Chani lamented.
Mr. Chani said government should therefore place a political will if the country is to increase production particularly in the small scale mining sector from 8, 000 to about 20, 000 for 2021.
“Government should take and place a political will to ensure that if they want to increase production particularly in the small scale mining sector from 8, 000 probably to 20, 000 annually for 2021. Let government drive an agenda, to make sure we increase the level of machinery on the small scale mining sector by allowing companies to become friends with the sector and provide them with the necessary equipment, that is if we want to achieve the 1 million tonnes,” he advised.
