Mining

Zambia has good deposits of Marble in Lusaka and other provinces. Lusaka ’s Marble Quartzite is a hard Marble suitable for flooring. A light Pink Marble similar to the Portuguese Pink is also available and has a good European market. There are deeper colours of Marble that are currently not very popular in the West. These colours of Marble such as plain greens, dark greens and even Salmon pink can be popularized with effective marketing and sample processing to encourage uniqueness for both domestic and commercial applications.

Owing to its dark colouration, Granite is mainly used for kitchen unit counters in homes and to complement Marble floors as a contrast to the lighter whites or pinks. Itezhi-tezhi and Kalomo Granite is usually speckled black or grey in colour although a rare and beautiful Blue Granite can be found in Solwezi.

These flooring products generally fetch a price of about K60,000 per square metre for the lowest grade and about K170,000 per square metre for the best quality. These prices reflect a huge value added service to the basic mined rock, and offer a great opportunity for local entrepreneurs to engage in a profitable and predictable mining business venture.

The famous Bauleni flat stone in Lusaka east, and no doubt many other places in Zambia , is begging to be commercialized beyond the business of carting it to the road side and stacking it in piles to attract the do-it-yourself builder or general passers by.

Simple and cheap stone cutting and surface grinding machines can quite easily transform this attractive stone into unique pavement tiles, wall facing blocks, and other building products. With this basic value addition, the street price would double or triple immediately, and the stone miner would do more predictable and profitable business. In the long run there could even be opportunities for exports and foreign currency earnings.

Other minerals that can be mined profitably are clay, limestone, gypsum and phosphate. The first three minerals make up the main ingredients in the manufacture of Portland Cement for the building industry.

Special clays are used to manufacture Refractory Bricks that are used for the inner lining of furnaces and kilns. These bricks can withstand very high temperatures without melting and therefore provide the housing environment for firing or processing other materials.

Other special clays can be used for the manufacture of Electrical Insulators such as those used on ZESCO power lines across the country and many other electrical applications.

Selected clays are used as raw materials for the manufacture of both ceramic wall tiles and roofing tiles. Clays are used for the manufacture of many domestic items such as dinner sets, teacups, coffee mugs, decorative flower vases, flowerpots, and various ornamental or decorative objects.

Gypsum is the basic raw material for the manufacture of school black board chalks. The demand for this product is available both in Zambia and the region.

Phosphate and lime are key elements used in preparing some soils for agriculture use. Phosphate is a base mineral in the manufacture of fertilizers for the farming industry. Lime is usually applied to soils to make it more suitable to support the growing of a good crop.

On the Copperbelt we have seen private enterprises engaged in the mining of Silica for supply to local mining companies to be used in their copper processing activities. These mining activities can be further enhanced to satisfy the demand by the copper mining companies.

Gold deposits have been noted in the Eastern and Northern Provinces and are yet to be exploited. Tantalite is prevalent in Southern Province and in Petauke District. Tantalite is the base material used in the manufacture of some key components used in cellular phones. These two minerals are just examples of the many un-tapped areas that Zambian mining can profitably exploit in the future.

A deliberate program needs to be put in place to train Zambian entrepreneurs to appreciate the different minerals that can be used in various industries. Zambian businesses must be developed with skills to mine, cut and polish in the case of Marble and Granite, and process these minerals to the quality that meets export standards thereby opening an opportunity to earn foreign exchange in addition to servicing the domestic market.

The traditional equipment required to mine these minerals is expensive. Large investments have generally been demanded to engage in the processing system required. This is not the case now. New techniques and technologies provide for lower investments in material extraction, cutting and polishing equipment, and other processing equipment.

Plant hire programs can easily be established in high activity areas thus avoiding the need for individual investments in large machinery required for material extraction from the ground.

Unlike traditional mining, Marble, Granite, Clay, Gypsum and Lime deposits can easily be identified thereby guaranteeing material extraction success and subsequently providing a very high probability for the entrepreneur to pay for plant hire services.

Developing this area of mining and processing is not a difficult task. Several funds currently exist such as the World Bank Copperbelt Economic Diversification Program, the European Union Mining Sector Diversification Program, the European Union Export Development Fund, the Development Bank of Zambia , and the Japanese Non-Project Grant Aid.

These funds can be used to develop training centres for extracting, cutting and polishing various stones in addition to developing know-how in the use of clays, lime and gypsum amongst other minerals. Specialists from developed countries that have been mining Marble, Granite and other similar stones for many years can be seconded to support the centres. Interested and serious entrepreneurs can enroll their staff and pay for training in an effort to enhance skills and productivity to quality export levels.

A self-financing sustainable plant hire project can be established after initial seed money input from a funding organization. Core equipment such as mobile derricks, slab cutting equipment, dump trucks, compressors, water pumps, drilling equipment, excavators, and lighting plants can be made available for hire.

A co-operative type export company can be established to ensure quality control, to negotiate good prices for the producers, and to consolidate finished products into single large shipments for export to the region and abroad. Producers can concentrate on production whilst their export company can ensure that all export procedures and documentation is in order.

At the right prices, local institutions such as commercial banks, airports, hotels and lodges, and the many diplomatic missions, will certainly invest in Marble and Granite floors and walls to upgrade the décor and quality of the buildings and as a consequence, market these un-exploited resources to the outside world. Many other industries and businesses will embrace the various products covering ceramics, fertilizer additives, chalks, and building products. These developments will impact positively on foreign exchange income generation, job creation, import substitution, skills development, technology transfers, and general economic and social development.

The Ministry of Mines and Mineral Resources is responsible for the issuance of permits and licences relating to investment in the mining sector. The licences and permits issued include large scale mining, small scale mining, prospecting licence, prospecting permit, retention licence, gemstone licence, gemstone sales certificate, artisan’s Mining rights and the reconnaissance permit.

Applications for the above permits and licences must be supported by the following documents:

Topographical maps of the area
Certificate of incorporation and articles of association
Photocopies of passports of directors and shareholders
Bank statements and reference letters from applicants’ bank
Programme of operations and estimated costs
Statement of mineral deposit in the mining area