Mozambique’s Secretary of State for Mines, Jorge Gerson Momade Daúde, has said the country’s new Mining Law reinforces the protection of communities affected by mining activity and creates specific instruments for the formalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining. The law was approved by the National Assembly on 7 May 2026 and published as Law No. 7/2026 on 3 June.
Daúde was speaking on Thursday, 2 October, in Maputo, at the National Multi-Sectoral Dialogue on Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in Mozambique, organised by the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD). The forum focused on sector formalisation, human rights, and local development.
According to the minister, the new Mining Law introduces specific licences for artisanal and small-scale mining, seeking to accommodate the different realities within the sector and facilitate its integration into the formal economy.
“The new Mining Law, with respect to artisanal and small-scale mining, highlights the reservation of areas and the introduction of dedicated licences — namely the artisanal mining licence and the small-scale mining licence,” Daúde explained.
The Secretary of State also highlighted the explicit inclusion of human rights within the new legal framework, which establishes obligations for holders of mining rights. These include the periodic submission of compliance reports and the communication of results to the relevant authorities.
The law also provides for monitoring mechanisms covering conditions in areas where mining activities are conducted, as well as provisions designed to protect communities directly affected by mineral resource extraction.
“In the new Mining Law, the issue of human rights is now expressly integrated,” Daúde said, adding that the legislation establishes the principle that access to, use of, and benefit from mineral resources must respect the rights of local communities and ensure those communities share in the proceeds of resource exploitation.
“The new Mining Law, with respect to artisanal and small-scale mining, highlights the reservation of areas and the introduction of dedicated licences — namely the artisanal mining licence and the small-scale mining licence.” — Jorge Gerson Momade Daúde, Secretary of State for Mines
Law Provides for Compensation to Affected Communities
According to the minister, the legislation also establishes mechanisms for compensation and resettlement in cases where mining activity affects pre-existing community rights.
“It provides for provisions on compensation and resettlement in cases where mining activity affects pre-existing rights, with the aim of protecting community rights,” he explained.
Daúde argued that the implementation of these measures will require sustained engagement from all parties involved in the sector to ensure the rights enshrined in the legislation are effectively upheld.
The Secretary of State also underscored the economic and social importance of artisanal mining in Mozambique. Citing data from the 2021 Artisanal Miners Census, he noted that the activity involved approximately 230,000 miners and more than 800,000 people across the broader value chain.
He acknowledged that these figures may have grown since the census was conducted, given the expansion of activity observed in recent years.
“Artisanal mining is an activity that sustains families, drives markets, and stimulates local economies,” he said, while acknowledging that “the sector faces challenges related to informality, limited access to geological information and technical assistance, commercialisation difficulties, inspection capacity, and access to financing.”
Daúde also revealed that regulations pertaining to the Mining Law, the Petroleum Law, and local content are in the final stages of approval and are expected to be submitted to the Council of Ministers within days. These instruments form part of a broader extractive sector reform that, according to the minister, aims to strengthen national participation and increase the economic benefits of resource exploitation for Mozambique.
The Secretary of State pointed to the situation in Manica province as an example of the need for a more structured approach to artisanal mining. Disorganised extraction, soil degradation, and the pollution of waterways are threatening agriculture, public health, and community livelihoods, he warned.
“The water used in mining is also the water that families, farmers, and ecosystems depend on. That is why managing mining activity requires us to consider the entire territory and all those who live within it,” Daúde concluded.
Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/2026/10/02/extractivas-2/governo-defende-que-nova-lei-de-minas-reforca-proteccao-das-comunidades-na-mineracao-artesanal/
