Minister of Home Affairs Kalombo Mwansa of Zambia
Miners Minister Kalombo Mwansa said on Wednesday that SADC members should harmonize their policies in order to create an all- round friendly investment climate in the region.
Mwansa said SADC countries should come up with common approaches to issues like taxation and the investment environment which are key to sustainable development of the mining sector.
Govt studying proposals'By Joan ChirwaFriday November 30, 2007 Government has received with a lot of interest suggestions that development agreements with mining companies should entirely be abolished, mines and minerals development minister Dr Kalombo Mwansa has said.
Dr Mwansa said a number of people share views such as those presented by Milupi regarding development agreements with the mines.
And during a consultative workshop on the review of the petroleum exploration and Production Act, Dr Mwansa said petroleum resources could change the economic landscape of the country by accelerating social and economic growth and development.
Dr Mwansa said this during the launch of the Federation of Small Scale Miners Associations of Zambia in Lusaka yesterday.
Dr Mwansa said a total of 31 loans amounting to K1.
However, Dr Mwansa said the loan recovery rate had been poor.
Oil exploration law to be enactedZAMBIA will enact the law that will pave way for foreign oil companies to start major exploration in August, Mines and Minerals Development Minister Kalombo Mwansa said on Wednesday.
Dr Mwansa said Zambia's legal experts had completed drawing the new law and Parliament would debate and pass it when it resumes sittings in August.
We have completed drafting the Bill and it will be presented to the parliament in August for enactment in law," Mwansa said in an interview with Reuters.
Dr Mwansa said foreign firms from Europe and the Far East had indicated interest to commence major exploration to determine the viability of oil deposits which had been confirmed after soil samples were taken to two European laboratories for testing.
The demarcated blocks are being published in the government gazette to invite bids from interested companies,' Mwansa said in a statement.
Dr Mwansa was speaking when he and Agriculture Deputy Minister, Daniel Kalenga, paid a courtesy call on Chief Chiyengele at his palace in Kayombo in Kabompo District.
Dr Mwansa said with the new Act in place, which had facilitated setting up a new parastatal company to be called Zambian Petroleum Company, Zambians were assured of maximum benefits from oil and gas extraction.
Dr Mwansa said the PTF was aimed at promoting social and economic development in various areas where there was exploration for oil and gas.
Kalombo Mwansa has disclosed that his ministry has partnered with the World Bank and the European Union in redesigning and  modernising the existing mining rights in the licensing system in Zambia.
and maintaining a conducive environment for private sector participation.
Minister of Mines and Mineral Development Kalombo Mwansa has attributed the growth of the Zambian economy to the attractive investment climate in the mining sector.
developing the areas for which they hold mining permits.
Zambian territory would be conducted this year.
three years, mines minister Kalombo Mwansa said on Wednesday.
being built by Chinese investors to meet growing output.
copper exploration took place in various parts of Zambia.
tax of 15 percent would be levied.
Mines Minister Kalombo Mwansa said the areas where the oil and gas reserves were discovered last year had been demarcated so that private firms could bid for specific blocks.
The Post reports that Mines Minister Dr Kalombo Mwansa has said the government's relationship with the mining companies in the country has remained cordial despite the new mining taxes.
Unfortunately, Kalombo Mwansa has not gotten back to me.
Zambia's copper cathode output is forecast to rise to 600,000 tonnes this year from 521,984 tonnes in 2007 while smelter capacity will jump in the next three years, mines minister Kalombo Mwansa said on Wednesday.
Mwansa said the country's two largest copper producers, Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) and Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), are both increasing their smelter capacity while a new smelter is being built by Chinese investors to meet growing output.
Mwansa said two new mines would start production and a third had advanced in construction works to raise output while more copper exploration took place in various parts of Zambia.
Mwansa said Australia's Equinox Minerals Ltd.
Mwansa said the government would discuss new mining taxes with two mines that have asked for an explanation on how the new windfall mining tax of a minimum 25 percent and variable profit tax of 15 percent would be levied.
Mwansa said the government had extended its initial Dec 31, deadline to end-March to allow foreign mines more time to start developing the areas for which they hold mining permits.
Mwansa said new areas with copper reserves on the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had been identified and that geological mapping for the remaining 45 percent of Zambian territory would be conducted this year.
Mines minister Kalombo Mwansa said in an interview that international arbitration would probably "come to nothing" and asked mining companies to accept higher taxes.
The fiscal regime wont change, Mwansa said on the sidelines of the Africa Mining Congress in Livingstone, Zambia.
Mwansa said international arbitration would be the least favourable course of action.
Zambia produced 520,000 tonnes of copper in 2007 and Mwansa said he expects output this year of about 600,000 tonnes.
com] -- Zambia's copper cathode production is forecast to rise to 600,000 tonnes this year from 521,984 tonnes in 2007 while smelter capacity will increase significantly in the next three years, mines minister Kalombo Mwansa said on Wednesday.
Mwansa said the country's two largest copper producers, Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) and Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), were both increasing their smelter capacity while a new smelter was currently being constructed by Chinese investors to meet growing production capacity.
Mwansa said that there was room for greater minerals discovery in Zambia because only 55% of the country had been geologically mapped and 45% of the country had still to be surveyed.
Zambia has enacted a law for mining, storage and export of uranium which bars the diversion of the mineral for use in making nuclear weapons or devices, mines minister Kalombo Mwansa said on Monday.
Mwansa said he had signed a law to pave the way for uranium mining in the country following the discovery of huge uranium deposits in several parts of the mineral-rich southern Africa country.
Mwansa said the signing of the law to allow uranium mining and exports was a milestone in the development of Zambia's mining industry, which has been dominated by copper and cobalt production.
In a special Television Zambia broadcast late Tuesday, Mwansa said projects amounting to billions of dollars of investment would commence around the country over the coming year.
commence around the country over the coming year.
Mwansa said the Zambian government was delighted at the success of the repatriation exercise that has seen Angolan refugees reunite with their long lost families.
Mwansa said that exploration licenses had been granted and said that mining licenses would be awarded following IAEA guidelines.
Zambian Mines Minister Kalombo Mwansa said all of the technical work in order to restart operations had been completed.
Kalombo Mwansa said safeguards will be taken to ensure people do not.
Mines and Minerals Development Minister Kalombo Mwansa said there was already enough positive information to encourage further interest in three districts of western and north-western Zambia.
The explored areas that have adequate information on oil and gas have been demarcated by the petroleum committee into blocks in order to enable companies to bid for these blocks with a view to conducting more detailed prospecting work in the blocks, Mwansa said in a statement.
Mwansa said the government will call for bids in the early part of 2007 after the areas have been advertised in the government gazette, to meet legal requirements, but he gave no further details.
Mwansa said the Geological Survey Department had documented areas where reserves had been detected and the findings were available for sale.
Mwansa said exploration had been extended to southern and eastern Zambia.
Dr Mwansa says Zambia is endowed with various mineral resources which include copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, nickel, platinum group elements, manganese, tin, tantalum and iron.
Dr Mwansa says Coal mining in Zambia is at present far from satisfying the local and export demand.
Dr Mwansa says Zambia offers some of the best incentives in the mining industry such as exemption from customs and duty on all mining equipment and machinery imported for mining purposes, 10 year carry-forward losses for tax purposes and corporate tax at 30 per cent.
Dr Mwansa says collectively, the SADC region holds about 50 per cent of Africa’s total mineral wealth which is critical in propelling the continental economy forward.
Livingstone, February 10, ZANIS-Minister of Mines and Mineral Development Kalombo Mwansa has attributed the growth of the Zambian economy to the attractive investment climate in the mining sector.
Dr Kalombo Mwansa said added that the good policies put in place by government had also played a significant role in the steady growth of the economy saying economic growth cannot be achieved without good government policies.
Dr Mwansa said the objective of the congress was to enhance cooperation among developers and financial institutions and hoped that it would be a fixed feature on the calendar of local and international mining companies.
Mr Musenge said in an interview in Kitwe yesterday that he was happy with the new Mines and Mineral Act, but was worried that the Mines Minister Kalombo Mwansa had not talked about the implementation of section 136 of the Act.
The Act is a very promising Act and it has excited many people including myself, but I am surprised that the Mines Minister Kalombo Mwansa has not talked about section 136, which talks about benefit sharing.
And reacting to Nkana MP’s concerns, Dr Mwansa said his ministry was yet to work out a mechanism for sharing royalties in mining areas and the country at large.
Dr Mwansa said the Government would ensure that it ploughed back to areas where there were some mineral reserves through good infrastructure to improve the lives of the people.
ZANIS reports that Mines and Mineral development Minister Dr Kalombo Mwansa said the performance of the Mining Sector was heading to unsurpassed levels with the price of Copper reaching the all time price of US$4,357 per tonne hence production Levels in most Mining operations has increased.