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Mozambique: National Census of Artisanal Miners launched
2:34 CAT | 11 Aug 2021
Photo: Conselho dos Serviços Provinciais de Representação do Estado - Nampula
The district of Moma in Nampula province on Monday (August 09) saw the launch ceremony of the Census of Artisanal Miners of Mozambique, reads a communique from the Provincial Secretariat of State Press Office.
The event was directed by the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Ernesto Max Tonelas, and was attended by the Secretary of State of the Province of Nampula, Mety Gondola, among other notables.
“We hope, by the middle of next year, in June, to share the results of this process, which is intended to improve the condition of mining activities carried out in Mozambique, with more jobs and better family income levels related to these activities. Also, these resources are owned by the State. Furthermore, they must be exploited in a healthy way, preserving the environment,” Minister Tonela said, according to the same communique.
“We are proud to witness the launch of the first census of Artisanal Miners in Mozambique, The National Statistics Institute (INE), has, for the materialisation of this operation, deployed members of staff with extensive experience in the execution of statistical operations to assist in the operational management of the process and work for the success of this operation, which depends on all stakeholders,” an INE representative said.
Responding, Secretary of State for Nampua province Mety Gondola said: “All the conditions are created for the province to host the first census of Artisanal Miners of Mozambique, in Mavuco, Chalaua Administrative Post, Moma district, so that the desired results are obtained in the implementation of the programme.”
1,100 areas across the country
The Mozambican Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy had earlier announced the launch of the census, with the aim of gathering information to help operators enter the formal sector, a Lusa report detailed.
“The census will give the government accurate information about the number of people involved in the activity, level of income that these activities generate for families, the places where they occur and their contribution to local and country income in general,” Minister Tonela was cited in the press release as saying.
The operation, continued Tonela, would also identify the type of techniques used in artisanal mining and the concomitant commercialisation chain – useful knowledge for designing formalisation and capitalisation strategies for the sector.
“The government is committed to organising and promoting actions that guarantee the formalisation of artisanal mining activity and the dissemination of practices that reduce the risks and deaths that occur due to unsafe mining practices,” the minister of Mineral Resources and Energy declared.
The authorities also intend to eliminate the use of environmentally harmful products used in artisanal mining, Minister Tonela added in the note.
Using the census data, the government intends to develop strategies that increase the income of families and communities involved in artisanal mining and the contribution of the extraction of gems, precious and semi-precious stones to the country’s economy, Tonela said.
“The contribution of mineral resources has been growing, both in exports and in terms of global production, but this contribution is still far from its real potential,” he emphasised.
A real knowledge of the world of artisanal mining in Mozambique would, he continued, also help introduce practices that increase productivity, improve connections with markets and lead to more competitive prices.
The national mining census will focus on 1,100 areas across the country where the activity is practiced, and will last until the end of the year.
Artisanal mining in Mozambique is generally practiced in dangerous conditions, with frequent reports of deaths from accidents during the extraction of mineral resources.
In addition to Mozambicans, a sizeable number of illegal immigrants are also involved in the activity.
Source: Conselho dos Serviços Provinciais de Representação do Estado - Nampula / Lusa
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