By Tendai Matunhu

Artisanal miners have been encouraged to take advantage of the opportunities offered to them and forge partnership with Large Scale Miners.

Speaking to delegates at the Artisanal and Small Scale Mining Conference  organised by Zimbabwe Mining Federation (ZMF) today at the Mine Entra, ZMF President, Henrietta Rushwaya encouraged Artisanal Small Scale Miners (ASM) to partner with Fidelity Printers and Refiners (FPR) increase their gold production. She said FPR provided training sessions for them. She said the resuscitation of RBZ Gold milling services was in progress.

She added that the numbers of people involved in artisanal mining continues to grow daily in Africa. She added that mining ends poverty as locals benefit from local mining investors.

Ms Rushwaya highlighted that there are no illegal miners and what is needed is for them to formalise. She, therefore encouraged small scale miners to regularise their mines so that they get the much needed assistance from Government in the form of loans

She also said, “Criminalization of the small scale miners has emerged, that's why we are calling on the amendment of the Mines and Mining bill.”

She highlighted some of the conference objectives which included, to understand the spectrum of the ASM activities in Africa, to explore policy and legislative changes, to optimize ASM legislative framework, to understand the relationship between large scale miners and ASM sectors, consider innovative machinery and technique to ensure ASM can be done effective and explore potential synergies the Large scale miners and small scale miners,

The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development called upon ASM to thrive on growing big and not remain small because once formalised they will be recognised at a high level.

The mining industry plays a pivotal role in President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s vision of attaining a middle-income economy status by 2030 and the Ministerial vision to have $12billion revenue by 2030.