President Lungu directs Ministry of Mines to work with UNZA in research

President Lungu

President Lungu

President Edgar Lungu has directed the Ministry of mines and minerals development to work closely with the University of Zambia to and other research institutions to intensify geological mapping and exploration.

Speaking when he officially opened the international conference on geology and mining of mineral and groundwater resources of the sub-saharan African under the theme: “Opportunities and challenges ahead”, President Lungu says costs related to mapping of a nation’s mineral wealth as an investment.

He has acknowledged that the mining sector in the region is currently challenged with high exploration costs;insufficient numbers of well-trained manpower; inadequate infrastructure for research and development and innovation; and less efficient mining practices.

President Lungu notes that this is mainly because most of the African continent, even after more than a century of geological mapping, mineral exploration and exploitation activities, large tracts of the terrain remains unmapped as geological research has not received the needed attention and priority.

And President Lungu says unmeasured use of groundwater by competing sectors has posed a threat to all those that rely on it, sometimes leaving all of them vulnerable.

He says in Zambia, the expanding industry is drawing down groundwater levels, pollution of aquifers through large scale irrigation agriculture, mining and other sectors contributes to the growing water problem.

President Lungu says this calls for a careful balancing act between the exploitation and preservation of these resources.

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