Maravi

Govt promises benefits from mineral wealth

Govt promises benefits from mineral wealth
By Misheck Wangwe in Kitwe
Wed 19 Oct. 2011, 14:10 CAT

THE Ministry of Mines says it has designed policies aimed at ensuring that the people of Zambia start benefiting from the country's rich mineral wealth.

In an interview, mines deputy minister Richard Musukwa said government was mindful that people voted for change because they were not seeing any benefits of having the expensive minerals that the country was endowed with. Musukwa said the PF government was determined to ensure that the mining sector plays a significant role in ending widespread poverty in the country.

He said it was sad that after privatisation of the mining sector, Zambians were only seeing copper and other expensive minerals being taken out of the country and no form of benefits were trickling down to the people.

"I would like to thank the people of the Copperbelt, Lusaka and all the provinces who fought hard and voted for change of government, and we promise them that we will never let them down. I have seen how my people in Kitwe's Wusakile township have suffered and my heart always goes out for them," Musukwa said.

"If you look at sanitation in Wusakile, it is the worst and there was a government of the MMD that did nothing for the people despite that mining area contributing significantly to the national Treasury through copper production that goes on every day in the mine. We will fight hard until the people start seeing the much-needed development."

He said the PF government wanted mining companies to come up with initiatives of real corporate social responsibility programmes in areas where they operate that would make people feel the benefits of their natural resources.

Musukwa said the government would work hard to uplift the living standards of the people and the general outlook of public infrastructure in various mining towns on the Copperbelt that had deteriorated over the past years due to poor governance by the previous government.

He said mining companies should not wait to be forced by government to work with the communities to bring development in the areas they were operating in as they had a moral obligation to pay back to the community.

Musukwa added that his ministry was also working with the mining companies to end illegal mining because it was detrimental to the growth of the sector which was a major contributor to the national Treasury.

Labels: PRIVATISATION, WINDFALL TAX

posted by MrK @ 2:36 PM