The Sunday News
Judith Phiri, Business Reporter
YOUTHS in mining say knowledge and skills acquired during training programmes will assist them formalise their operations and boost production capacity as they complement the country’s target to turn the mining sector into a US$12 billion industry by 2023.
Recently, the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) rolled out the second phase of training programmes for youth artisanal and small-scale miners as a way of formalising them and curbing smuggling of minerals out of the country.
The training programmes which are being rolled out in partnership with the Zimbabwe School of Mines (ZSM) and the Young Miners Foundation (YMF) saw 11 participants graduating and receiving certificates after taking part in the two phases of the training in Bulawayo.
One of the graduates, YMF chief executive officer (CEO) Mr Payne Kupfuwa who is also a miner in Zvishavane said they had acquired more knowledge they will use to develop their mining operations.
“Going forward the training enlightened us to actually see the opportunities that are there in the mining value chain. We managed to do site visits to value added plants and acquired knowledge such as processing of jewellery,” said Mr Kupfuwa.
He said the training also unpacked issues to do with access to funding from banking institutions so that they could boost their operations.
Mr Kupfuwa said working with other youth miners they were going to develop cooperatives to acquire funding that will aid them to formalise their operations.
Another member of YMF who also graduated, Ms Hlengiwe Mpofu who has mining operations in Plumtree and Kezi said she acquired more knowledge on how to run a successful mining venture.
“Along we have been doing illegal mining and losing a lot of money in the process, however, the training was an eye opener on the importance of formalised mining. Our goal now is to take mining as a business and eventually grow our small-scale operation to medium scale,” said Ms Mpofu.
She said as more women venture into mining there was a need to also consider the value chain instead of only focusing on the exploration part of mining.
Mr Tapiwa Taruwedzera, a member of YMF, who is considering venturing into mining, said he was going to implement most the things he learnt from the training programme.
“The training programme is a great initiative meant to benefit miners formalise their operations. As l work on venturing in mining soon, l have acquired the requisite information and motivation l need, hence l will be able to maximise on output and profit by implementing what l have learnt.”
Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) Matabeleland North secretary for youth Mr Nkululeko Ngwenya who was also in attendance said the initiative complemented Government efforts to grow the mining sector.
“Recently the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development unveiled a US$10 million fund to bankroll youths, in the latest strategy to ramp-up production. The knowledge and skills we acquired from the training will aid the smooth flow of our operations and assist us to make good use of the US$10 million fund facility as we target the US$12 billion industry target by 2023,” said Mr Ngwenya.
ZSM training and operations manager Mr Martin January said there was a need for youths in mining to understand the mining value chain so that they are able to run mining as proper businesses.
“The training they underwent covered the whole value chain from exploration which is the actual finding of the mineral, the mining, processing and beneficiation. Then finally understanding mining as a business that is the evaluation, the costing of the mine and the processes so that they are able to run mining as a business,” he said.
