On Thursday (11), the president of the Manica Business Council (CPE), Alcides Cintura, defended the need to set up a gold refinery to help broaden the tax base and make the mining sector more organised in the central Mozambican province.
He pointed out that Manica is rich in mineral resources, including gold and precious and semi-precious stones, particularly in the districts of Manica, Gondola, Báruè, Macossa, Guro and Vanduzi, where their exploitation is still uncontrolled.
“The refinery will increase employability for young people, increase the levels of revenue collected for the state and help dynamise the value chain of mineral resources,” he said.
Speaking during a seminar to assess the challenges facing the mining sector, Cintura recognised that the province has seen many gains in recent times, with the existence of mining cooperatives, but stressed that “they are not enough because the exploitation of mineral resources is still done clandestinely”.
“Illegal mining is prevalent in almost all the districts and attracts national and foreign citizens, mostly young people, who exploit gold using environmentally harmful techniques. The product is often sold outside the normal circuit without any form of taxation,” he added.
According to the president, in that part of the country there are currently ten associations, 20 companies and more than 8,000 artisanal gold miners.