65+ young miners benefit from small scale mining management training

By Ndanatsiwa Tagwireyi

More than 65 young miners from Zimbabwe’s six mining provinces have so far benefited from the small-scale mining management training program spearheaded by the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) in partnership with the Young Miners Foundation (YMF) and the Zimbabwe School of Mines (ZSM), a report released by YMF this January has revealed.

The partnership followed the Mineral Export Trade and Value Addition Seminar (METVA) held in Mutare and hosted by YMF in March 2021. In his keynote address as the METVA guest of honor, MMCZ General Manager Tongai Muzenda highlighted the importance of a young Miners capacity building program through training as key to the attainment of a US$12 Billion mining economy.

“On the 18th of May 2021, MMCZ walked the talk by fully sponsoring the trainings which were launched at ZSM in Bulawayo with 20 young miners from Matebeleland undergoing a 3-day Part 1 Training session,” part of the report titled “Fundamentals in Small Scale Mining Management Training Report reads. The trainings cascaded to Manicaland, Masvingo, Midlands, Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland West Provinces drawing 20 participants from each Province to do the Part 1 of the Fundamentals in Small scale mining.”

According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) less than 10 per cent of the workforce in small-scale mines are likely to have any formal training skills. Zimbabwe has an estimated 500,000 artisanal and small-scale miners, 70% of whom have not received any training according to a 2019 Training Handbook for Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners in Zimbabwe.  

“On the 13th of September 2022, the Fundamentals in small scale mining management training part 2 kick started at the Zimbabwe School of Mines (ZSM) and 12 participants graduated, the training was also rolled out in other provinces,” Payne Kupfuwa , YMF Chief Executive Officer told the Mining Vision Magazine. “13 participants graduated at Golden Peacock Hotel in Mutare, 11 graduated at the Flamboyant Hotel in Masvingo, 6 from the Midlands Province graduated at the Village Lodge in Gweru, 10 participants from Mashonaland West graduated at Chinhoyi University of Technology while 15 miners graduated at Twin Lodge in Bindura.”

Meanwhile, YMF has set the theme for 2023 which reads,” Grow and stabilize: Towards a Sustainable Mining Economy” and has revealed plans to avail the 2023 calendar of events before the end of January.

“As YMF family we subscribe to the re-writing and re-defining of the informal and artisanal mining to more formalized small to medium capitalized mining companies. One of our theme key deliverables is increased formalization and professionalization of young miners’ enterprises to create more formal jobs and business opportunities in the mining value chain for the youths,” Kupfuwa said

“We will continue to encourage young miners to leverage on available training opportunities to attain education and for them to see the importance of formalizing; other issues that we will continue to push for include the creation of alternative funding options for young miners to boost efficient gains in terms of direct and indirect investments” he added.

YMF CEO is of the view that young people should not forget that they are not growing any younger and therefore should set a foothold in formal and stable mining businesses