Nasdaq-listed mining company Namib Minerals is stepping up its commitment to Zimbabwe’s gold sector, with its CEO, Mr. Ibrahima Sory Tall, recently touring Mazowe, Redwing, and How Mines to oversee progress on a US$300 million investment earmarked for restoring and expanding operations, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
The visit by Tall underscored not only the company’s determination to revive large-scale gold mining but also its recognition of the need to engage stakeholders, particularly in areas affected by artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM).
Mr. Tall said the tour was meant to reinforce the company’s on-the-ground approach. “By implementing our strategy, we will be developing world-class assets that directly support the Government of Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030, while also generating lasting value for our stakeholders,” he said.
The success of this multi-million-dollar investment will depend heavily on how Namib Minerals manages engagement with both local communities and ASM miners operating around Mazowe and Redwing. For years, these mines have been epicentres of artisanal activity, often driven by economic necessity and limited formal employment opportunities. While ASM contributes significantly to Zimbabwe’s gold deliveries, it also presents challenges, safety risks, environmental damage, and unregulated production that undermines formal operations.
Namib Minerals has openly acknowledged the need to address illegal mining to maximise the benefits of its planned revival of Mazowe and Redwing. This is a clear signal that the company sees sustainable engagement, not confrontation, as the path forward. Coordinated action, involving government, traditional leaders, ASM groups, and the company itself, could pave the way for coexistence where artisanal miners transition into safer, more formalised operations.
Preliminary work has already begun at Mazowe and Redwing, laying the foundation for redevelopment, while How Mine is being prepared for scaled-up production. The investment will not only expand production capacity but also focus on environmental rehabilitation and extensive exploration aimed at doubling current resources.
Crucially, this approach has to create space for inclusive growth. In Zimbabwe’s gold sector, where ASM sustains hundreds of thousands of livelihoods, engagement strategies that integrate small-scale miners into value chains—whether through tribute agreements, processing partnerships, or formalisation programmes—will determine whether the investment achieves broad national benefits.
Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 identifies mining as a pillar for achieving upper middle-income status. While large-scale investments like Namib Minerals’ US$300 million plan provide the financial muscle to rebuild major assets, ASM remains the backbone of gold deliveries to Fidelity Gold Refinery. For the government, and now for Namib Minerals, the challenge is not whether ASM exists, but how it can be harnessed, organised, and made safer to align with national goals.
Namib Minerals’ commitment to responsible mining, as reflected in its Nasdaq listing and focus on community engagement, suggests that the company understands this dynamic. By working with ASM stakeholders, the company can not only protect its assets but also foster a new model of mining partnerships where artisanal and large-scale mining complement each other rather than compete.
Namib Minerals’ entry into Zimbabwe’s gold revival drive is timely, ambitious, and promising. But beyond the billions in capital expenditure, its real test will be in how it engages with local communities and ASM. The history of Mazowe and Redwing has shown that ignoring artisanal miners is not an option. Instead, sustainable solutions lie in dialogue, structured collaboration, and ensuring that mining becomes a shared economic engine for all stakeholders.
If successful, Namib Minerals could set a new benchmark for how foreign investment in Zimbabwe’s mining sector balances profitability with inclusion, paving the way for a mining future that is both world-class and locally empowering.
