GOVERNMENT TO PUT UP GOLD MARKETING CENTRES IN DISTRICTS
Government to set up a gold mining marketing centre in Lusangazi district of Eastern Province for easy access of the market for the mineral by the local people.
The gold marketing centre will be set up at a central place within the district and the centre would be responsible for the purchase and selling of the Gold being extracted in Lusangazi.
Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development Senior Planner, Angela Zulu said other gold marketing centers are also planned to be set up in other districts where Gold mining activities are taking place.
Ms Zulu said the gold marketing centres plan was still at draft level and plans to implement it were underway as the formalization of the gold mining activities in Lusangazi were still in process.
ZANIS reports that Ms Zulu was speaking during a sensitisation meeting for Lusangazi Artisan small scale gold miners held in Petauke.
“The Government plans to set up gold marketing centres in areas were the gold mining activities are currently taking place including Lusangazi,” she said.
And Ms Zulu explained that Government would play a key role in financing, setting up and overseeing the ope rationalisation of the centres including the provision of legal and regulatory frame work for the centre.
She added that the centres would consist aggregators responsible for the purchase, sell and transporting of the mineral resource and the gold refinery facilities for the purification of gold among other compartments.
Ms Zulu also stated that the idea was to ensure that the Bank of Zambia (BOZ) bought all the gold in the area for the benefit of the country.
She added that there would be rules and regulations to be followed when conducting operations at the gold marketing centre with the full involvement of the community in Lusangazi and other Government line ministries.
And Speaking at the same meeting, Lusangazi District Commissioner, Mike Tembo said Government would expedite the issuance of artisan Mining licenses to the cooperatives in the area so that the gold mining activities were fully formalised.
Mr Tembo emphasised that the local people in Lusangazi must be prioritised when issuing artisan Mining licenses while people form outside Lusangazi could also be licensed.
And Mr Tembo also thanked Government for planning to set up a gold marketing centre in Lusangazi as it would ensure easy market for the mineral resource and create employment for the local people.
” Thank you so much to the Government for this plan as it will bring the Gold market closer to the people but also considering to expedite the issuance of the artisan Mining licenses and consider the local cooperatives first when issuing out these licenses”, he said.