The Mines Safety Department (MSD) has acknowledged its inability to adequately inspect mining activities across the country, highlighting a significant gap in operational capacity.
This is a major grave concern, as it compromises the department’s ability to ensure that mining activities are being conducted safely and in accordance with regulations.
The MSD is responsible for ensuring that mining activities in Zambia are conducted in a safe and responsible manner. However, the department’s inability to conduct regular inspections means that many mining operations are going unmonitored, potentially putting miners’ lives at risk.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Zambian Business Times (ZBT), MSD Director Fred Banda noted that originally established to focus primarily on operations within the Copperbelt and parts of North-Western Province, the department is now faced with the challenge of monitoring an expanding mining landscape that spans nearly the entire nation.
He said the MSD’s current constraints are attributed to insufficient financial resources, particularly in areas such as transportation, which are critical for conducting thorough inspections.
Banda however said the Department is actively engaging with the Ministry of Finance to secure increased funding, aiming to bolster its ability to carry out inspections nationwide.
“In light of these challenges, plans are underway to transition the MSD to the Minerals Regulatory Commission. A bill has been proposed in Parliament that, if passed, would facilitate this move, enabling the MSD to extend its presence to at least six provinces to start with.”
He said this restructuring is expected to transform regional mining bureaus into effective regional offices for the Minerals Regulatory Commission, greatly enhancing accessibility and oversight.
“The expansion of our regional footprint will allow us to cover a larger portion of the country, ensuring that mining activities are conducted safely and responsibly,” he said.
He said the department anticipates that additional funding will empower inspectors to deploy to mining sites more efficiently.
The MSD Director emphasized that the department is doing its best with the limited resources available, but acknowledged that more needs to be done to address the safety concerns in the mining industry.”
We are working closely with stakeholders, including mining companies and government agencies, to find solutions to these challenges,” the MSD Director said.
“However, we urgently need more resources to enable us to conduct regular inspections and ensure that mining activities are being conducted safely and responsibly.”
The revelation has sparked concerns among mining industry stakeholders, who are calling for urgent action to address the safety concerns and prevent mining accidents which are becoming rampant.
As the mining industry continues to grow and expand in Zambia, the need for effective regulation and oversight has never been more critical.
The government has been called upon to provide funding to the MSD to enable the department to conduct regular inspections and ensure that mining activities country wide are being conducted safely and responsibly.
