By CHATULA KANGALI –
THE Government should delink the Mineral Value Monitoring Chain  Project (MVMCP) from the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) and turn it into an independent body.
The Associations of Minerals Suppliers and Contractors want MVMCP to be turned into an independent body   that will monitor all the activities in the mining sector.
Association president Augustine Mubanga said in an interview that ZRA only concentrated on monitoring   revenue collections and the export of minerals.
Mr Mubanga said there was need for the MVMCP  to run as an independent body that will monitor all the activities in the mining sector.
“We want  the MVMCP  to also look at  the mineral  explorations, production, investors and  the  supply system among  others in the mining  sector. ZRA  cannot  do  all that, our  appeal  to Government is  for the  project  to be  delinked  from ZRA, ”he said.
Mr Mubanga said the mining sector was facing a number of problems ranging from production to supply which needed to be monitored.
Meanwhile, the association has welcomed the proposed 2018 national budget saying it took into consideration the views of stakeholders.
Mr Mubang called for  the need  for local people to support the  national budget  through  increased local  revenue  collection and  not depend on  donor funding.
“ We happy  that  most  of the   views  by  the Zambian  people  have been  put into consideration in the 2018 budget. Let   us all  support it and not  wait  for donor funding,” he  said.
Mr  Mubanga  said  Government  should  consider  turning  the  newly-restructured Intermarket  Bank which is now the Industrial Commercial  Bank into  Small  and Medium Scale  Entrepreneurs (SMEs) bank.
He  said  there was  need for SMEs  to  have a  bank  that  would offer them capital  for expanding and  setting  up   businesses.