ZAMBIA

Located in the heart of southern Africa, Zambia’s diverse geographic landscape is abundant in natural resources. Zambia’s social and economic development is intricately linked to the responsible and sustainable management of its Development Minerals sector.

Zambia’s rich mineral resources are extracted by both large-scale and small-scale enterprises. With a century-long mining history, the sector is a cornerstone of the Zambian economy, contributing 12% to GDP and 70% of export earnings in 2020.

Artisanal women miners from Chibelenga Women’s Cooperative carrying stones from the quarry pit at a mine site in Livingstone, Zambia

Development Minerals in Zambia

Development Minerals are crucial for the domestic economy of Zambia. However, they are often categorized as low-value minerals and materials due to their low unit price and limited international market value. Despite their perceived “low value,” these minerals are important for domestic development. Key development minerals in Zambia include dimension stones, clay, sand, gravel and semi-precious stones. They provide essential raw materials for infrastructure, manufacturing, construction, and agriculture.

Artisanal and small-scale mining

While Zambia has a century of mining experience, the fullpotential of artisanal and small-scale mining in Development Minerals remains untapped. Zambia’s artisanal and small-scale mining sub-sector faces challenges that include informality, unsustainable mining practices, limited access to capital and technology, and poor market access. This results in low productivity, environmental degradation, poor occupational health and safety, and inadequate value addition. In Zambia, this sector is also facing additional challenges of Illegal mining and the exploitation of local communities involved in small-scale mining.

However, the artisanal and small-scale mining sector is crucial for socio-economic development. It has a significant potential to contribute to the national economy, generate revenue and wealth, and deliver social benefits. Realizing this potential requires a well-managed and organized artisanal and small-scale mining sector. Artisanal and small-scale miners in Zambia mine a diverse range of minerals, including manganese, copper, gemstone, gold and non-metallic minerals.

100,000

Artisanal and small-scale miners

30%

Women and youth

~US$1 376

million in revenue from mining in 2018

~US$200

annual income of an artisanal miner - less than half of gross national income (GNI) per person

OUR ACHIEVEMENTS IN ZAMBIA

Government officials and UNDP staff onsite with artisanal miners exploring ideas for innovation in ASM sector in Livingstone, Zambia

The ACP-EU Development Minerals Programme is enhancing the profile and improving the management of Development Minerals in Zambia, which include industrial minerals, construction materials, dimension stones, and semi-precious stones. Recognizing the growing demand for these minerals driven by factors such as the transition to clean energy, population growth, rapid urbanization, industrialization, and the need for climate-resilient infrastructure, the Programme is supporting the sustainable development of the artisanal mining sector in Zambia.

The Programme provides capacity building support to artisanal and small-scale mining enterprises, mining associations, public institutions, and other stakeholders in the Development Minerals value chains, contributing to the sustainable growth of the Zambian economy.

LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT

Contributed to policies, strategies, laws, and actions on Development Minerals by:

Supporting formulation of the national strategy and policy on development minerals
Formalizing artisanal and small-scale mining operations, enabling miners to access legal protections, financial support, and new market opportunities
Sharing knowledge and best practices at national, regional and international platforms
Promoting formation of artisanal mining cooperatives
Building capacities of artisanal and small-scale miners and government agencies
Conducting studies and contributing to revision of legislation in the mining sector

ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL SAFEGUARDS

Promoted sustainable mining practices in artisanal mining by:

- Designing courses and conducted trainings in safe and environmentally -friendly mining practices
- Developing an environmental assessment toolkit
- Training artisanal and small-scale miners on environmental management, mine safety, and health practices

VALUE-ADDITION AND INNOVATION

Promoted value-addition to and innovation in Development Minerals by:

- - Supporting small business development by providing small grants
  - Conducting trainings in business skills and value addition in partnership with Zambia Development Agency (ZDA)
  - Providing small grants to enhance value-addition and improvement of skills and incomes of artisanal mining and value-addition enterprises
  - Fostering entrepreneurship and value-addition, especially among youth and women

FOCUS AREAS

Geodata Field Work — Women miners in Chibelanga crushing granite into aggregates which are used in construction

POLICIES AND INSTITUTIONS

The Programme works to enhance the governance and sustainability of the artisanal and small-scale mining sector in Zambia. These efforts have focused on strengthening the regulatory framework, advancing formalization processes, and improving safety and efficiency within the sector.

- - Facilitated the establishment of a dedicated department in the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development to address the concerns of the artisanal and small-scale mining sector in Zambia
  - Contributed to the formation of a fund to support the artisanal and small-scale mining sector
  - Facilitated the creation of a “Business Process Document” for artisanal and small-scale mining, laying the groundwork for the development of a Minerals Market Management Information System. Contributed to Zambia’s Mining Policy and helped revise the National Strategy on ASM through a study on ASM Formalization and Business Acceleration in Zambia
  - Supported stakeholder consultations for Regulatory Impact Assessment required for the revision of Mines and Minerals Development Law of Zambia.

GEOLOGICAL AND MINERAL INFORMATION

The Programme has helped improve the accessibility of geological data:

- - Conducted an inventory of geological data to complement existing digitized information at the Geological Survey Department of Zambia
  - Digitized over 1100 geological maps and reports and uploaded them to a secure server
  - Supplied equipment to ensure online access to the geological data for investors and artisanal and small-scale mining enterprises
  - Supported the collection of geological data on salt, feldspar and gypsum through field work in 32 sites Northwestern, Central and Eastern provinces.

Campaign for formalization of artisanal and small-scale miners in Livingstone, Zambia

ORGANIZATION AND FORMALIZATION OFARTISANAL AND SMALL-SCALE MINERS

The Programme developed a National Formalization Blueprint to guide the formalization of the artisanal and small-scale mining sector in Zambia. It supported the Ministry of Mines and Mineral Development and the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprise Development to provide extension services to artisanal miners and support in registration of cooperatives and the acquisition of mining rights. It built extensive partnerships with ASM stakeholders, as a result of which the Programme reached thousands of artisanal miners.

ENVIRONMENTAL, SOCIAL, GOVERNANCE AND SAFETY PRACTICES

Artisanal miners mining granite at a mine site in Dambwa in Livingstone district, Zambia

The Programme works to promote environmental and social sustainability and safe mining practices in the Zambian mining sector.

In addition to our core partners in Zambia, our Programme collaborated with the Environmental Governance Programme implemented by UNDP in partnership with the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, in undertaking activities in environmental and social management in mining.

- - A simplified Environmental Assessment Toolkit to make environmental requirements more understandable for artisanal miners
  - Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) guidelines for the Minerals Regulatory Commission to improve ESG compliance within the sector
  - Artisanal and small-scale mining manual to minimize accidents and incidents within the sector

The work in this area resulted in increased understanding by artisanal miners of the environmental permitting process, thereby reducing delays in application review and approval.

The Programme also conducted trainings of resource persons and artisanal miners on environmental management and safety:

20 officials trained in provision of extension services to artisanal miners in environmental management, mine and quarry management and geology

142 artisanal miners, communities, and regulators trained in on environmental management, mine management and occupational safety

Training and extension services reached 1600+ people

EMPOWERING WOMEN IN ARTISANAL MINING

The Programme is empowering women artisanal and small-scale miners by providing targeted support to women-led enterprises and cooperatives and ensuring inclusion of women across all the Programme’s activities.

The Programme raises awareness among women artisanal miners about the benefits of forming and operating a cooperative, provides them with information and training on formalization and on how to form cooperatives, and assists in obtaining registration. This resulted in an increased number of women formalizing their operations, which makes them eligible to own mining rights and improves their access to knowledge and markets. The Programme facilitates access to small grants, and participation in markets, enhancing women’s access to markets and finance. The Programme ensured high rate of women’s participation in trainings targeted to ASM, with 49 percent of training participants in Zambia being women. The Programme also provided support to improved governance of national-level organizations of women artisanal miners.

Activities in support of women artisanal mining include:

Improving Governance of Women-Led ASM Organizations:

- Helped with the governance reform of the 300 member-strong Association of Zambian Women in Mining, resulting in more democratic election of new executives

Increasing Formalization of Artisanal Mining

- Partnered with the Association of Zambian Women (AZWIM) to formalize 100 women artisanal miners and provide targeted training
- Partnered with the Federation of Small-Scale Miners to provide extension services to 968 people

Enhancing Access to Markets, Finance and Equipment

- Provided small grants to improve productivity and safety and reduce the hardship of their work, in particular during COVID-19. Small grants were impactful in creating jobs and raising incomes. For example, a cooperative in Chipata alone reported 120 new jobs created for youth and cooperative members reported higher earnings. The latest grant was a donation of Zambian-manufactured stone crushing equipment to the Chibelenga Women Cooperative in Livingstone.
- Supported promotion and marketing of products of dozens of artisanal and small-scale mining enterprises – many of which were owned by women − at flagship mining events in Zambia, such as the Zambia International Trade Fair (ZITF) and the Copperbelt Agriculture and Mining Expo (CAMINEX). Several enterprises and cooperatives secured orders or investment.

Value addition to dimension stones by Zambezi Natural Stone Company in the Southern Province

Entrepreneurship and Business Development

The Programme works to enhance entrepreneurial and technical skills of artisanal and small-scale mining enterprises.

Enhanced Business Skills

- - Trained 160 artisanal and small-scale mining enterprises, of which half were women, in entrepreneurship, marketing, and value addition across Southern, Eastern, and Central provinces of Zambia
  - Trained artisanal and small-scale mining enterprises in business and financial planning

Improving Business Development Capacity

- - - 30 national business consultants were trained on skills for business development support to SMEs, including SMEs in Development Minerals.

Value Addition and Low-Carbon Materials — Students processing gemstones at the Gemstone Processing and Lapidary Training Centre in Ndola, Zambia

Skills and Value-addition

The Programme works to promote value addition skills among artisanal and small-scale mining enterprises and young people. Through a grant and partnership with the Gemstone Processing and Lapidary Training Centre (GLPTC) of Zambia, and the Zambia Development Agency, the Programme provided gemstone processing equipment and skills training for 25 graduates of GLPTC and five artisanal mining cooperatives to produce cut and polished gemstones and jewelry for both the local and international markets.