By Derrick Silimina

The Government has successfully trained over 1,000 cooperatives in the ongoing Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM) skills training and capacity building programme.

In a statement, Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development Permanent Secretary Hapenga Kabeta said the training aims to enhance the capacity of artisanal and small-scale miners, enabling them to operate as genuine drivers of development.

“When properly organized and managed responsibly, artisanal and small-scale mining can stimulate local economies, create employment opportunities, reduce poverty and contribute to industrialization through value addition,” Dr. Kabeta said this during the official opening of phase four of the Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Cooperative Skills Training and Capacity Building Programme in Choma.

He has emphasized that the Government acknowledges the critical role of artisanal and small-scale mining in generating income and providing livelihoods for numerous Zambians.

The Permanent Secretary further highlighted President Hakainde Hichilema’s prioritization of training, formalization, licensing and institutional support to ensure that no Zambian miner is excluded from the modernization and professionalization of the mining sector.

Speaking at the same event, Southern Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Yolanta Malunga expressed the province’s enthusiasm for the initiative, which seeks to minimize illegal mining operations.

The training has drawn over 100 cooperatives from Southern Province and other parts of the country, with senior government officials from the Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Labor, civil society and clergy in attendance. The training is ongoing and expected to extend to other regions.