The Government plans to boost the national mineral resource base by capacitating the Mining Promotion Corporation and the Zimbabwe Geological Survey to enhance systematic mineral exploration.
The Government has lined up several interventions under its five-year medium-term blueprint, National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2, 2026-2030)
ZGS is a Government entity mandated to generate, archive and share geoscientific data for mining, geological mapping, exploration and geological technical advice to support national development through better understanding of the country’s mineral resources.
The MPC is a public entity responsible for promoting mining investments, identifying opportunities and facilitating mining Joint Ventures (JVs) with private partners.
Under NDS2, the Government intends to promote mineral exploration to boost the country’s vast mineral reserves, mining investments and drive economic growth to achieve the 2030 national vision of an upper-middle-income economy.
This forms part of a broad policy thrust carried over from NDS1, 2020-2025, to enhance the long-term growth and sustainability of the mining sector, which remains one of the most important pillars of the economy.
According to the NDS 2 document, the focus during the next five-year period will be on strengthening geological mapping and mineral resource evaluation, supported by dedicated funding mechanisms aimed at enabling early-stage exploration.
The Government believes that improved geological data and quantified resources are critical to reducing investor risk and accelerating mine development.
As such, the MPC and ZGS will be equipped with enhanced technical, financial and institutional capacity to carry out systematic exploration, develop bankable mineral projects and package them for competitive local and foreign investment.
“During NDS2, the Government will consolidate and scale up the mineral exploration agenda initiated under NDS1, to rebuild a strong pipeline of quantified mineral resources and enhance the long-term growth of the mining sector.
“The focus will be on strengthening geological mapping and mineral resource evaluation, supported by dedicated and sustainable funding mechanisms to enable early-stage exploration.
“MPC and the Zimbabwe Geological Survey will be capacitated to undertake systematic exploration, develop bankable mineral projects and package them for competitive investments,” reads the recently introduced National Development Strategy 2.
Director Geological Survey, Mr Forbes Mugumbate, said mineral exploration provided more data on the country’s mineral endowments, making the country more attractive for investment.
“The mineral value chain starts with identifying and quantifying mineral deposits (mineral exploration), which covers a wide range of activities starting with basic regional geological, geochemical, and geophysical mapping, through local detailed analyses, drilling and quantification of the discovered mineral resource.
“So, the government’s decision to intensify exploration and manage geological and mineral resources data in the country will provide more basic exploration data, which may lead to mineral discoveries. By this, the country becomes attractive to higher-level investments,” said Mr Mugumbate.
Mining analyst, Mr Graeme Chimudzi, said that systematic mineral exploration offered significant benefits from economic development and provides essential data for sustainable resource management.
“Conducting extensive mineral exploration has the potential to boost economic growth, create jobs, and attract investments. It also provides crucial data for sustainable resource management, helping balance extraction with environmental and social considerations, ultimately supporting long-term development,” said Mr Chimudzi.
In a bid to improve transparency and efficiency in the mining sector, NDS 2 also intends to strengthen the Exclusive Prospecting Order (EPO) framework.
The reforms will enforce performance obligations on licence holders and eliminate speculative holding of mineral claims, which has often delayed exploration and development.
The measures are expected to increase the rate of new mineral discoveries, attract responsible and long-term investment, and promote greater value addition and beneficiation retention within the country.
Enhancing focus on exploration, project development and regulatory discipline under NDS2 will allow the Government to position Zimbabwe as a more competitive and attractive destination for mining investment while maximising the economic benefits of its mineral endowment.-herald
