Crime & Courts
Veep urges regional unity to end mineral exploitation
Zambia has called on Great Lakes region countries to strengthen cooperation against illegal mineral exploitation and ensure natural resources create jobs, support industrial development and improve livelihoods.
Picture: Times of Zambia
Zambia has called for stronger regional cooperation among member states of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) to combat illegal mineral exploitation and promote value addition for sustainable economic development.
Vice-President WK Mutale-Nalumango said regional efforts should focus on strengthening governance, promoting legitimate mineral trade and ensuring natural resources contributed to improved livelihoods.
She said this in a speech delivered on her behalf by Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet for Finance and Economic Development Siazongo Siakalenge at a meeting of ICGLR ministers responsible for mining in Lusaka yesterday.
The Vice-President said illegal mineral exploitation could not be addressed by individual countries acting in isolation.
“The meeting provides an opportunity for member States to review the regional initiative against the illegal exploitation of natural resources and consider measures to improve its effectiveness,” she said.
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Ms Mutale-Nalumango said the revised framework should promote mineral value addition, local participation, investment, industrial development and employment creation while ensuring that natural resource wealth supported inclusive and sustainable development.
She said the meeting would also consider an action plan to promote peace through regional economic cooperation, recognising that responsible resource management and economic integration could help address some underlying causes of instability.
European Union Ambassador to Zambia Karolina Stasiak said illegal exploitation and trafficking of natural resources deprived governments of revenue while facilitating corruption, human exploitation, environmental degradation and conflict.
*File image
Source: Times of Zambia — Read more
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