Over 100 delegates expected at the 2015 Midlands Provincial Alternative Mining Indaba

Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association has announced that over 100 delegates are expected at the 2015 Midlands Provincial Alternative Mining Indaba.

ZELA will host the third Midlands Provincial Alternative Mining Indaba (PAMI) on the 3rd and 4th of June 2015 in the mining town of Shurugwi.

"Over 100 delegates are expected to attend from mineral rich communities in the province, members of parliament, Chiefs, Councilors, CEOs of Rural District Councils, mining companies, government departments, academia representatives, civil society organisations and the media," said ZELA.

"The PAMI, is running under the theme "Creating shared value in the mining sector through engagement with people, business and government". This year's theme and focus on engagement conjures ZELA's acknowledgement that for Zimbabwe to unlock the potential and value of its mining sector there is need for people, business and government to come together and address the obtaining challenges, identify effective practices and map out a collective agenda."

The organisation said this tri-focal engagement allows for benefits to accrue to communities, the government and business because of their shared interest in the management of the country's mineral resources.

Veronica Zano, ZELA's Legal Officer said "The PAMIs are designed to offer a neutral platform for engagement of multiple stakeholders to advance their issues, positions and interests on governance of the mining sector"

She said ZELA has created an open space for all stakeholders to engage through presentations and discussion panels that are designed to tease out critical aspects that can contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development.

Zimbabwe's mining sector continues to be viewed as central to the country's economic resurgence. This is clearly indicated in the government's economic blueprint, the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio- Economic Development (ZIMASSET 2013-2018).

The Provincial Alternative Mining Indabas are a platform for community members, local leaders, government and mining companies to dialogue on mining related issues that are relevant to the local context.

The PAMIs were conceived after noting that community members and local leaders from the mineral resource rich areas are often not part of the national conversations on the exploitation and governance of these mineral resources. This notwithstanding the fact that they reside in the resource rich locales and often have to contend with varied impacts of mining.

The topics that will be covered include; perspectives of communities on the engagement and local content development by mining companies, experiences sharing by mining companies' on social investments, updates on the implementation of CSOTs and environmental management issues among others.

Speaking also on the PAMI, Mukasiri Sibanda ZELA's economic governance officer said "This year's PAMI is designed to allow for specific socio-economic analysis that is relevant to the needs of the community for optimal development".

The PAMI has grown to be one of the biggest platforms where issues of mineral resources governance are discussed and where multi-stakeholder priorities are set.

The PAMIs are a grassroots platform that harnesses the community voices and consolidates issues that feed into the National Alternative Mining Indaba as well as the Alternative Mining Indaba that is held at the regional level every year.