- Kambamura calls for green technology across the whole mining value chain.
- Zimbabwe to deploy drones for real-time monitoring at mining operations.
- China commits to transfer green mining technology to African countries.
- Conference drew 33 African mining ministers from 60 countries.
AFRICAN countries should adopt green technology at every stage of mining, from exploration through to production, Zimbabwe’s Mines and Mining Development Minister Polite Kambamura said this week.
Kambamura was speaking at the 28th China Mining Conference and Exhibition in Tianjin, which opened on September 10 under the theme “Win-win Cooperation, Green and Intelligent Development.” He is leading Zimbabwe’s delegation at the invitation of China’s Minister of Natural Resources, Guan Zhi’ou.
The conference drew more than 40,000 delegates from 60 countries, including 33 African mining ministers, and was held alongside a Ministerial Forum on International Mining Cooperation. Chinese Vice-Premier He Lifeng delivered the keynote address.
“If we are to do exploration, we need to explore using green technology. If we are to do mining development, again using green technology,” Kambamura said. “All around the mining value chain, we need to go green.”
He said that shift requires building what he called “a culture of green ethics in the mining value chain.”
Kambamura said Zimbabwe will move to deploy drones for real-time environmental monitoring at mining operations, part of declarations made by African ministers at the conference. The technology is expected to improve compliance, safety and environmental management across mines.
He said China has committed to help African countries with the transfer of green mining technologies. “China has committed also to assist African countries in that regard, which is something we wanted in the sustainable development of our developing countries,” he said.
The minister said lessons from the conference would be folded into Zimbabwe’s policy framework as the country works to attract investment while protecting the environment and mining communities.
Zimbabwe has been pushing to capture more value from its minerals at home rather than exporting raw ore. Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe dispatched the country’s first export of locally produced lithium sulphate from its Arcadia mine in April, and Bikita Minerals in Masvingo Province is developing a lithium sulphate plant of its own.
