The Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Engineer Polite Kambamura, unveiled the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) – Zimbabwe School of Mines (ZSM) Gemstone Cutting and Polishing Training Centre on Thursday last week.
Aligned with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) for 2021-2025, aimed at promoting value addition and beneficiation, MMCZ collaborated with ZSM to establish a gemstone cutting and polishing centre offering a training program tailored to empower miners in the gemstone sector.
This initiative employs a multi-faceted approach, including:
1. Encouraging Formalization of the gemstone sector: Equipping miners with knowledge and education on the gemstone regulatory framework and avenues for selling gemstones through official channels, thereby reducing mineral leakages.
2. Boosting Gemstone Production: Providing miners with the necessary knowledge and skills to enhance their gemstone output.
3. Maximizing Recovery Rates: Training focusing on improved techniques to minimize gemstone loss during extraction and processing.
4. Greater control over the value chain: Allowing miners to be more engaged in the gemstone processing process, granting them increased control over their earnings.
5. Creating new income opportunities: The capacity to produce finished gemstones can unlock fresh markets and income streams for our miners and the nation as a whole.
Speaking at the unveiling of the centre, Deputy Minister of Mines and Mining Development Engineer Polite Kambamura commended MMCZ and ZSM for their strategic roles in both the mining sector and national economic development.
He stressed the importance of the mining sector’s growth in cultivating skilled human capital, underscoring ZSM’s pivotal role in this endeavour.
Engineer Kambamura also emphasized the significance of innovation in industrialization, aligning with the 2024 ZITF theme, “Innovation as a Catalyst for Industrialization in Trade.” He urged ZSM to embrace innovation and modern technological trends, aligning its curriculum with global standards to prepare students for the fifth industrial revolution in mining.
“With the growth in the mining sector, ladies and gentlemen, we anticipate exponential growth in human capital with the right skills. The role of the Zimbabwe School of Mines cannot be overemphasized. We applaud MMCZ for partnering with the school to achieve the national goal of mining school development in the mining industry. Most importantly, the objective of empowering youth and women to set up their own value-addition centres across the country. This ceremony is taking place on the margins of the 2024 ZITF theme, Innovation as a Catalyst for Industrialization in Trade. It is a fact that the world has moved into a fourth industrial revolution, characterized by innovation and high-end industrial advancements. Zimbabwe is no exception, as the country has already adopted a new education curriculum, Education 5.0, inclined towards modern technological trends. In that regard, the school is encouraged to promote innovation and benchmark itself with local and international universities in mining to tap the expertise and knowledge required in the fifth industrial revolution for the mining industry,” Eng Kambamura said.
Speaking at the same event, MMCZ Board Chairperson Mr Jemister Chininga emphasized the alignment of this initiative with the national agenda, striving for Zimbabwe to attain upper middle-income status by 2030.
Recognizing ZSM’s integral role in nurturing mining professionals and MMCZ’s commitment to Corporate Social Investment, Mr Chininga highlighted the collaboration’s goal to address gaps in the local gemstone mining value chain. This move is in accordance with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), emphasizing value addition and beneficiation.
The donated equipment, including Trim Saws, Faceting Units, Calibrating Machines, Dual Grinders, Wet Belt Sanders, Cabochon machines, and a Beads drilling machine, aims to empower trained miners to establish their own gemstone cutting and polishing factories, aligning with the government’s focus on value addition and beneficiation.
“As you might be aware, ZSM, a longstanding partner of MMCZ’s Corporate Social Investment program, has nurtured generations of mining professionals for the regional and global markets. However, as MMCZ, we identified a gap in the local gemstone mining value chain, wherein our local artisanal gemstone miners were losing out due to a lack of capacity to efficiently mine and value-add their products. Because of this and in line with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1) for 2021-2025 to promote value addition and beneficiation, MMCZ partnered with ZSM to set up a gemology centre which offers a training program designed to empower miners in the gemstone sector.
“Today, we are witnessing fruits born from this partnership. The collaboration being celebrated today aligns perfectly with the country’s economic blueprint, the NDS1 – a roadmap to achieving Vision 2030, which seeks to create a middle-class economy. The first phase involved the procurement and installation of state-of-the-art cutting, grinding, and polishing machines which include; Trim Saws, Faceting Units, Calibrating Machines, Dual Grinders, Wet Belt Sanders, Cabochon machines, and a Beads drilling machine. It is hoped that before the end of the year, the second phase of the project will have been completed, enabling ZSM to enrol and capacitate more miner students. The ultimate goal is to capacitate the trained miners to set up their own gemstone cutting and polishing factories, striving towards achieving the government’s focus on gemstone value addition and beneficiation,” he said.