UPND GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE TRUTHFUL: THE CASE OF GEOLOGICAL MAPPING
In the Daily Mail today, 15th August, 2024, it is reported that President Hakainde Hichilema yesterday launched the “first-ever” country wide high resolution geological mapping survey to be carried out by Xcalibur for a period of 18 to 24 months.
It is further reported that “Zambia has not had any mapping since 1972 and relies on archaic information for its mineral exploration”.
Its good that further geological surveys are conducted in Zambia. However, President Hichilema and his government officials should shake off vanity. It is a lie to state that this is the first time ever that Zambia will carry out a high resolution geological mapping. It is also a lie to claim that Zambia has not carried out any geological mapping since 1972. It is also another lie that Zambia relies on archaic geological information for its mineral exploration.
Such lies are actually an insult to countries like China that have assisted the Zambia government in recent years to carry out geological mapping in Zambia using state-of-art technology in recent years.
The cooperation between China Geological Survey and Zambia Geological Survey began in 2012.In
July 2012, China and the Republic of Zambia signed an agreement in respect of the project “CHINA-AIDED REGIONAL GEOLOGICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL MAPPING IN KASAMA, NORTHERN PROVINCE, ZAMBIA “.
The project was put into practice in 2013, the main field work was done in 2014, and the laboratory work for the samples was finished by May 2016.
The coverage of regional geochemical survey on 1:100 000 is around 6064 square kilometers;
the coverage of regional geological survey on 1:100 000 is around 6064 square kilometers; 39 elements were determined by the various methods;
More than 180 geochemical maps are compiled.
Based on the above-mentioned investigation, in December 2014, China andZambia signed an agreement to carry out the project
China-aided airborne geophysical survey and geological-geochemical comprehensive mapping in north-eastern part of Zambia.The project included: the aerogeophysical survey in
Northern and Luapua Provinces of Zambia, 1:100000 geological mapping in the west of Kasama,
Northern province, and 1:250000 regional geochemical mapping in Kasama, Northern province. The aerogeophysical survey used the advanced drone (CH-3), as the carrier for aeromagnetic and
areoradioactivity equipment .
In April 2016, Director Zhong, China Geological Survey, paid a visit to Zambia, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding in geosciences with Geological Survey Department of Zambia.Built on the corner stone of these existing geological cooperation projects, more extensive cooperation in geosciences have been carried out in the research of basic geology, mineral geology, environment geology, agricultural geology, and so on. Through these comprehensive study of geology, deposit and remote sensing, resource potential has been evaluated.
China and Zambia have been collaborating on geological surveys since early 2000s.
In February, 2010, for example, the Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) of the People’s Republic of
China and the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development of the Republic of Zambia signed the MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING in the field of geology and mining.
In October 2005, in accordance with the agreement earlier signed between the governments of China and Zambia, China Geological Survey dispatched a delegation consisting of 8 experts to Zambia for an investigation.
In October, 2010, China Geological Survey dispatched a delegation consisting of 7 experts to Zambia and a follow-up delegation in November, 2010.
Additionally, individual mining companies have continued to carry out state of art geological mapping since 1998.
Please stop vanity.
