The country’s sole gold buyer and exporter, Fidelity Gold Refinery (FGR), has announced plans to establish custom elution service centres, starting in Mberengwa, to increase gold deliveries from artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM) as part of its broader strategy to support ASM and enhance gold production in Zimbabwe, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
Speaking at the Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) 2025 strategic meeting on Friday, FGR General Manager Peter Magaramombe revealed that Fidelity’s goal for 2025 is to ramp up its support to ASM miners, who have been a key driver of the country’s gold production. He explained that the new elution service centres will be a significant step toward achieving this objective.
Magaramombe emphasized that Fidelity is committed to providing the necessary equipment and incentives to encourage consistent gold deliveries.
“We will support miners by providing equipment such as compressors, generators, hammer mills, and other essential tools,” he said.
Fidelity is also working on setting up custom elution service centres to serve miners in multiple regions, starting with Mberengwa, Ngundu, Kadoma, and Makaha.
“Another strategy is the establishment of custom elution service centres. Fidelity will create one-stop custom elution service centres, starting with locations in Mberengwa, Ngundu, Kadoma, and Makaha. The number of these centres will increase annually,” said Magaramombe.
He explained that these centres would streamline operations for miners, offering services such as assaying, chemical supplies, elution, and gold purchasing, all under one roof. The idea is to reduce risks associated with gold loss during transportation and increase the efficiency of gold processing and purchasing.
In addition to the operational advantages, Magaramombe stated that training programs would offer Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) initiatives to enhance capacity.
“We will offer training to artisanal and small-scale miners on responsible mining, safety, health, and environmental management. We will also consult with miners to ensure that the training is relevant to their needs,” he added.
The FGR General Manager stressed the importance of these initiatives, not only to boost production but also to ensure safe and responsible mining practices across Zimbabwe.
Furthermore, Fidelity plans to expand its network of gold-buying centres to facilitate faster payments to miners. Magaramombe noted that the number of gold-buying centres will increase from 17 to 25 in 2025. He assured miners that they would continue to receive timely payments and that banking facilities would be set up to ensure a smooth process.
Magaramombe concluded by reiterating Fidelity’s commitment to growing Zimbabwe’s gold production and ensuring that ASM miners receive the necessary support to operate efficiently and safely.
These new developments underscore Fidelity’s strategic role in the country’s gold sector as it works to boost ASM participation and overall gold output in 2025.
Gold deliveries in 2024 were 36.48 tonnes, a notable increase from the 31.9 tonnes recorded in 2023. This marks an approximate 14% increase in gold deliveries year-on-year, driven primarily by the efforts of small-scale miners, who contributed the bulk of the country’s gold output. ASM miners delivered 23.7 tonnes in 2024, up from 18.7 tonnes in 2023, reflecting a strong performance in the sector.
