By KENNEDY MUPESENI –

in London
AFRICAN ministers have resolved to put in place legislation in respective countries to compel investors to add value to minerals before they are exported.
The move will enable respective countries get maximum benefits from minerals and create employment.
Zambia’s Mines, Energy and Water Development Minister Christopher Yaluma agreed with his counterparts who attended the Mining on Top African Summit in London that there was need to encourage value-addition to minerals before they were exported.
“Promotion of value-addition is the only way Zambia and Africa at large will get maximum benefits from mineral endowments,” Mr Yaluma said in a presentation at the three-day summit.
He took advantage of the gathering to encourage international investors to utilise investment opportunities such as the political and policy environment in Zambia to invest in copper smelting.
Ghana Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Nii Mills said value-addition was key in realising significant benefits from minerals, especially that most mining operations were owned by foreign investors in Africa.
Cote D’ivoire Minister of Industry and Mining Jean-Claude Brou said his government was giving a lot of incentives to mining investors engaging in value-addition and embracing local content to encourage
a lot of players in the processing of minerals.
Cameroun was represented by secretary of State – Ministry of Mines, Industry and Technological Development – Fuhcalistus Gentry, who also emphasised the need to encourage value-addition and
local participation in the mining sector.
Mining on Top Africa – London Summit – is a mining conference for Europe, uniting minster’s from Africa’s most established and emerging mining economies with global mining executives, investors and service providers.
Organised by AME Trading Limited, the summit aims at connecting and encouraging greater stakeholder engagement that will enable Africa to meet its wider, social and economic development agenda through mining.