‘Tech skills key in mining’

THE Government is committed to impart requisite technical skills needed in capacitating miners towards fulfilling their production obligations that will in turn spur the attainment of the US$12 billion mining sector milestone.

This came up at a training workshop for miners that is being coordinated by the Minerals and Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) in conjunction with the School of Mines.

Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando and his deputy Polite Kambamura, also attended the workshop with the former stating that human resource capacitation together with the resource itself and capital are the three corner stones that will drive the sector.

With Zimbabwe’s unquestionable standing as one of the hugely endowed countries in the world and Government having taken the initiative to lure capital through President Mnangagwa’s “Zimbabwe is open for business” mantra, Minister Chitando said technical training is the missing cog that has to be filled.

“The third thing that is also required, is the expertise and the knowledge or management . . . the technical ability to be able to mine that chrome ore board, the technical ability to be able to extract that gold,” said Minister Chitando.

“The resources we have — Zimbabwe is blessed to have an abundance of natural resources. But what we need to do is to ensure that we develop the financial capacity and the managerial or human resource capacity.

“The essence of this workshop is to try and achieve two functions that is — the facilitation of the financial capacity and enhancement of the human resources capacity,” he said.

Speaking at the same event, MMCZ general manager Mr Tongai Muzenda, called on miners to approach the state minerals marketing arm on areas where they feel they have a skills gap that hampers productivity and want it bridged.

He said the miners should be cognisant of the fact that by doing this, MMCZ is not doing a favour to the miners but rather fulfilling its mandate.

The training comes at a time when the state marketer is moving to maximise mineral exports into the country towards the 2023 milestone.

Notwithstanding the drawbacks of Covid-19, the MMCZ has, in the first nine months of the year managed to rake in US$1,7 in mineral exports that exclude gold — a figure that is 24 percent higher than target.

“Whenever you feel you need our assistance, please come let’s talk and see how we can be of help, it’s not like we will be extending a favour to you, it’s actually our role,” said Mr Muzenda.

“Let’s continue working together so that we can have as much value as practically possible from our minerals,” he said.

The Government has identified among other key sectors, mining and agricultures, as major areas to provide quick economic turnaround and achieve the much awaited middle income status.

The two areas are major foreign currency earners for the country and these are also sectors where indigenous people have mastered the art of producing and are providing natural substitution for the white players who have since left the sectors.-herald.cl.zw