The Mozambican government will this year conduct the country’s first-ever census of artisanal miners as part of efforts to better manage activities of players in the sub-sector, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Max Tonela said on Tuesday.
According to the minister, the proposed census would enable the Mozambican authorities to better understand the subsector and enable them to develop policies and programmes that ensure activities of artisanal miners are mainstreamed into the economy.
“We are investing on a census of artisanal actors, the first to be carried out in the country, as an essential tool for better management of the subsector,” Tonela said.
Mozambique has in recent years experienced a surge in the number of artisanal miners, some of whom come from neighbouring countries.
The operations of the artisanal miners are currently not regulated and, therefore, do not contribute to the country’s fiscus.
Mozambique is home to several mineral resources, including gems and gold.
JN/APA