Interview: Association of Mine Managers of Zimbabwe President, Abel Makura
In November 2023, Engineer Abel Makura was appointed President of the Association of Mine Managers of Zimbabwe (AMMZ). To learn more about his key priorities and goals for the key Mining organization we sat down with the “Technocrat” and among many issues, we also explored initiatives to enhance diversity and inclusion within the Association and the importance of technical visits and partnerships with other industry organizations.
Join us as we gain valuable insights from the man at the forefront of the men and women running the day-to-day business in the Zimbabwean Large-scale and Mid-tier mines.
Congratulations on being appointed President of a key Mining Organisation in Zimbabwe. What are your key priorities and goals as the new President of the Association of Mine Managers?
One of the key priorities is bringing closure to some of the projects that the Association had been working on for quite some time. The key projects that quickly come to mind include a review of the Mining Regulations (SI 109 of 1990 & SI 72 of 1989) and the registration of the Chamber of Mines as a constituent body with the Engineering Council of Zimbabwe to allow for the legal registration of mining professionals as required by law.
Outside the outstanding projects, another key priority is the lobbying for alignment of the education curriculum of institutions offering mining-related disciplines with industry needs to avoid the production of graduates that fail to get absorbed into the profession.
We also intend to bolster our relations with affiliate associations within the country and region to foster knowledge sharing for the better of our mining industry.
How do you plan to promote sustainable and responsible mining practices within the industry?
We have resuscitated our SHE Audits which had temporarily been shelved after the COVID pandemic, and these audits alongside technical visits will be used to inculcate responsible mining practices. We will also lobby members to partake in the IRMA audits, an international standard for responsible mining.
There has been substantial growth in new mines for the past years and there seems to be little interest from Chinese Miners to join the AMMZ. Why should they join the AMMZ?
The association is a vehicle for information exchange and dissemination of good and sustainable mining practices and technical innovations. These benefits can only be realized by those onboard. China itself being a first-world country, is way ahead of technology and the Chinese can also bring in a new aura in the field of technology so their joining the Association, is a mutually beneficial arrangement for both. We have different categories of membership such as ordinary, affiliate, associate and honorary membership and the door is open to all qualifying professionals to join.
How do you plan to advocate for the interests of Mine Managers and ensure their voices are heard in policy and decision-making processes?
The Chamber of Mines is the mother body responsible for all policy issues relating to mine and the voices of the Mine Managers will be heard through the Chamber of Mines
What measures will you put in place to support Mine Managers in navigating the changing regulatory landscape, especially in terms of environmental protection?
We will keep Mine Managers abreast of all regulatory changes so that they don’t get left behind. We will also urge them to be part of the process of reviewing the regulations so that their views and concerns can be captured and the regulations are amended, it will be to their and the environment’s advantage.
How do you plan to address the potential impacts of automation and new technologies on the role of Mine Managers?
Through our working group (Technology, Innovation & Academia), we will explore new emerging technologies and quantify their impacts on the future mine manager and provide sufficient recommendations on how they can be managed to the benefit of the mine manager to avoid adverse effects
There are no women in the council yet there are a number of them in leadership positions at several mines. What initiatives will you undertake to enhance diversity and inclusion within the AMMZ?
We will continue to encourage more women to take up leadership positions in industry and join the Association as members from which they can be voted or coopted into the Council.
AMMZ Technical visits are in my opinion one of the best insightful and a broader perspective can open up new avenues for improvement and innovation on the findings and observations during the visit. What is your take on the inclusion of some SADC mine visits?
Anything that brings in new learnings that can result in new and improved ways of mining is open for exploring and as long as it is within the boundaries of our financial abilities, it is worth looking at.
There is no better informative & networking platform than AMMZ’s Technical visits if equipment suppliers and service providers are to better understand what innovative products/ solutions should be supplied to mines in Zimbabwe. What are the fees attached to providers to visit?
Our technical visits are free to attend subject to clearance from the mines being visited, suppliers are free to attend and get a picture of what their consumers require or what can benefit them. At our annual conference, there are various competitive sponsorship packages available for them to come and exhibit their products.
How do you plan to cultivate partnerships with other industry associations and organizations to further advance the interests of mine managers?
We collaborate with associations for supporting disciplines such as survey, geology, metallurgy, rock engineering and rock engineering and they are always part of our programmes and initiatives towards the advancement of the mining industry. We are happy to work with many others to cover all areas that affect the Mine Managers in their daily running of their operations.
Industrial attachment is increasingly becoming a headache for many students. Your take on how can this situation be remedied?
Under our working group (Technology, Innovation & Academia), we intend to engage with academic institutions offering mining-related education to help with the career development of the students and industrial attachment would be one of the areas to be looked at with a view to see how a mutually beneficial and practical solution can be reached at.
What is your overview of the recently ended AMMZ AGM and Conference?
The just-ended conference and AGM was a success which managed to bring together the key stakeholders in the Zimbabwean mining industry together to discuss and share ideas on how to navigate the challenging landscape that the industry is faced with in the wake of depressed metal prices and increased costs of production. There was a fine blend of seasoned mining engineers like Mr Walter Nemasasi, government officials, Chamber of Mines Executives, Academics, Mine Managers and students and the discussions held and presentations made were very insightful and gave the attendees a lot of takeaways.