ASM Symposium Offer Hope to Malawi economy
The recent Artisanal and Small scale Mining
(ASM) Policy Consultation Symposium in Lilongwe has agreed on number of
critical issues that if properly implemented would expose ASM into
International markets.
The results from the two day conference on
Wednesday and Thursday last week has also proposed for further research on
stumbling blocks and ways to promote ASM subsector.
The conference has empowered an international
organization Pact to work with government in spearheading the research in areas
of access to market, finance and information among others.
In order to realize the dream of organizing the
ASM subsector so that it moves from informal to formal footing in a view of
maximizing their earnings hence contributing to the country’s GDP, the
conference has in its first recommendation resolved that there is need to
further engage with law makers, law enforcement agencies, Malawi Revenue
Authority (MRA) and Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM).
The other five agreements are empowering an
international Organisation PACT to do baseline study, needs assessment,
quantify and consolidate other policy plans discussed in the conference on how
every point will be achieved.
Such studies will be in areas of market analysis
to find out where and who has been a buyer for these ASM and to go further on identifying
where and who can be the recommended buyer or markets for ASM products.
To ensure that access to finance is “no more
far-fetched dream” every business has been urged to be formalized by getting
registered and licensed and must be in groups for easy access to financial
institutional loans and some financial literacy will be provided to these ASM.
The conference has noted annual events in
Arusha, Capetown and identified countries like Srilanka, Thailand, Rwanda and
DRC to be areas that ASM’s needs to regularly visit to learn and access
information on markets for their products.
Martha Malumba an ASM who was in the conference
said agreements made in the conference will greatly support her once the
modified policy is enforced.
“Am excited that I was part of this process. We
were missed out several conferences. Am also happy that FDH Bank has pledged a
continued commitment to support us” She said
Director for Finance and Administration in
Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining Gusto Patrick Mabvuto at the
end of the conference said the agreements in this conference will go a long way
to transform ASM and will increase government revenue.
He promised that government will endeavour to apply
these agreements to ensure their success.
The next conference of the same nature to look
at what has been achieved will be in 2015.
Currently, Artisanal and Small Scale Mining
activities employ over 20 Thousand people in the country. And the just ended
conference has modified some mining policy in order to organize the ASM
subsector by moving from informal to formal footing in a view to maximize
earnings and revenue to contribute to the country’s GDP.
