The planetGOLD Zambia Project Partners with Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development to Engage Lusangazi Miners on Responsible Mining and Formalisation.

On 8 August 2026, the planetGOLD Zambia Project partnered with the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development to engage Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Miners at the Sasare Mining Site in Lusangazi District, Eastern Province on responsible mining practices, formalisation and mercury-free gold processing.
The engagement brought together the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, Dr. Hapenga Kabeta, local authorities, the planetGOLD Zambia Project team and Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners to discuss the challenges facing mining communities and practical measures that can support safer, legal and environmentally responsible mining.

Speaking during the engagement, the planetGOLD Zambia National Project Manager, Ms. Abigail Mwailenge, said the project was supporting Government-led efforts to engage miners on responsible mining practices, legal requirements and the support available to help them formalise their operations.
“We have come today to talk about how we can move away from harmful mining practices and to sensitise each other on how we can practise safe mining through following the laws set and what help we can get from Government,” Ms. Mwailenge said.
She explained that the planetGOLD Zambia Project is supporting Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Miners to access the necessary requirements for formalisation while promoting interventions aimed at reducing mercury use in Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining.

The engagement provided an opportunity for miners to directly raise some of the challenges they face and engage Government on possible solutions.
Lusangazi District Commissioner, Ms. Margaret Chisomo Zulu, said the presence of the Permanent Secretary provided an important opportunity for the mining community to highlight the challenges they are experiencing and work towards practical solutions.
“We have come with the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Hapenga Kabeta, from the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, who has come to see some challenges we are facing and ultimately what kind of solutions we can come up with,” she said.

In his address, Dr. Hapenga Kabeta urged Artisanal and Small-Scale Miners to obtain the necessary documentation and licences so that they can operate legally. He also called on miners to take responsibility for the environment by ensuring that mined-out areas are properly managed and restored.
Dr. Kabeta particularly urged miners to stop using mercury in gold processing, emphasising that protecting the environment is essential for the wellbeing of future generations.
“Future generations depend on this same environment, so I urge you to protect the environment,” Dr. Kabeta said.
He stressed that Government's push for responsible mining is also intended to ensure that Zambian gold enters legitimate and responsible markets.
“All these things we are encouraging you to do are because we want responsible mining which will enable us to sell our gold responsibly,” he said.

Dr. Kabeta further cautioned miners against bringing children to mining sites, stressing that children should be in school rather than being exposed to the dangers associated with mining.
The discussions also highlighted the need to strengthen access to formal gold markets in Lusangazi. Dr. Kabeta challenged miners and local authorities to urgently identify a suitable location for a market centre that could provide a more structured and transparent avenue for mineral trading.
He called for the process to be expedited so that the Market Centre can become operational within the year.

“I urge the miners and the local authorities to quickly decide on where exactly we can establish a market centre so that this year, the market can be active,” he said.
A functional market centre would provide an important link between formalisation and responsible mineral trading by giving miners a more structured platform through which to sell their gold.
While Government emphasised the importance of formalisation, miners highlighted the challenges they face in accessing mining licences. Mr. Raphael Baluwa, a representative of the Artisanal Miners at Sasare, called on Government to ease the process of acquiring licences so that mining communities can more easily formalise their operations.
Mr. Baluwa also thanked Government for its continued interest in the Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining sector and for engaging directly with mining communities on the challenges they face.

The engagement at Sasare forms part of ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, with support from partners including the planetGOLD Zambia Project, to strengthen the formalisation and responsible development of Zambia's Artisanal and Small-Scale Gold Mining sector.
The planetGOLD Zambia Project remains committed to working alongside Government and mining communities to support practical pathways towards formalisation, responsible mining and mercury-free gold production.