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Plough 10% revenue on minerals back into communities, urges EFZ

Plough 10% revenue on minerals back into communities, urges EFZ
Written by Mwila Chansa in Mufulira
Friday, October 16, 2009 2:22:43 AM

THERE is need for a law that will ensure that about 10 per cent of revenue realised from natural resources are ploughed back into the community, Evangelical Fellowship of Zambia (EFZ) project officer Mwiya Mwandawande has observed.

And a clergyman from Chingola has said there is need for Zambians to strictly scrutinise the backgrounds of people aspiring for political office if the country is to realise any meaningful benefit from its natural resources.

During a capacity building workshop for constituents’ and religious leaders on natural resource management at Monalisa Lodge in Mufulira on Tuesday, Mwanawande cited Ghana as one country where districts or towns endowed with natural resources got a share of such resources.

He noted that in the Zambian context for example, districts such as Mufulira where mining activities took place needed to get a fair share of the revenue realised from such activities.

“If Mufulira is affected by environmental degradation as a result of mining, is it the people in Senanga who will suffer?” Mwandawande asked.

“It is the people in Mufulira that will be affected, hence at least 10 per cent of the revenue realised from there should be ploughed back. We are not saying that everything should be left but at least 10 per cent.”

Mwandawande said the idea behind advocating for such a law was to promote equity and fairness in the management of the country’s resources.

And Fr Richard Luonde from the Anglican Church in Chingola called for a change in the manner of doing things in Zambia in order to maximise people’s benefits from their natural resources.

Fr Luonde said it was important to usher in leaders that would properly manage the country’s resources.

“In Zambia there is a problem because we do not thoroughly investigate those who vie for political office, their backgrounds are not well known. But in America, when one is aspiring for political leadership, they are investigated from the time they were conceived, who their parents were and so on,” said Fr Luonde.

Another clergy from Kitwe, Fr Paul Matembo, said as long as decisions continued to be made centrally, Zambia would take long to have its citizens derive benefits from their natural resources.

Labels: EFZ, MINING

posted by MrK @ 1:22 AM