. Lusambo

By MILDRED KATONGO –
STAKEHOLDERS have supported calls by Copperbelt Minister Bowman Lusambo to conduct a mining investment audit to ascertain the levels of investment by mining firms in the province.
Mr Lusambo has, meanwhile, summoned all local mine suppliers and contractors for a meeting tomorrow.
The Association of Mine Suppliers and Contractors (AMSC) said although a lot of investment appeared to have gone into the mining sector in recent years, it had not had the anticipated impact on the local communities.
AMSC president Augustine Mubanga said this was because many local mine suppliers and contractors had been denied the chance to benefit from the mine investment for a long time.
Mr Mubanga said mining firms were engaging foreign firms as suppliers and contractors under the guise of engaging expertise they claimed was not available locally.
He said in an interview that the investment audit for the sector would reveal a lot about operations that mining firms were engaged in and hopefully lead to measures that could yield real benefits for Zambians.
“We support the stance taken by the Minister to have a mine investment audit. A lot of investment in the mines has not made an impact on the community because local people are not engaged. Zambians should be given first priority, granted jobs and awarded the contracts because the minerals belong to them,” he said.
Mr Mubanga said the mining firms gave excuses of lack of skills for not engaging local suppliers despite having the duty to help local people upgrade the skills.
He said it was also worrying that mining firms took deliberately long to pay local suppliers and contractors for goods and services.
Mr Mubanga said an audit as the one suggested by Mr Lusambo should extract commitments from investors to support local suppliers and contractors.
Mine Workers Union of Zambia (MUZ) president Nkole Chishimba said an investment audit was the only way of ascertaining the actual value that Zambia was gaining from mining activities.
Mr Chishimba said MUZ welcomed the move, noting that for a country that depended on minerals, it was imperative that Government was ascertain on the levels of mine investment and how it was benefiting the nation and the local people.