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Zimbabwean mining leader Chiedza Chipangura has called for governments to involve artisanal and small-scale miners in designing formalisation policies, arguing that capacity building must equip policymakers to understand mining operations as well as help miners meet regulatory requirements, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
Chipangura, National Director of the International Council for Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (IC-ASM) and owner of Chi-Moyo Mine in Zimbabwe, made the call at the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) Annual General Meeting in Geneva, where the organisation launched its new Mining Academy.
The meeting, hosted by UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) at the Palais des Nations under the theme Value Beyond Extraction: Rethinking Mining for a Resilient Future, brought together government representatives from more than 100 countries to discuss mining governance and the sector’s contribution to sustainable development.
Welcoming the Academy’s launch, Chipangura said its impact on the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector would depend partly on whether miners were recognised as partners in shaping policies that affect their operations.
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“Capacity building in the ASM sector must come from both sides of the table,” she said. “Policymakers and miners alike need capacity building in order to demystify ASM operations whilst derisking the miners.”
Her argument places the practical realities of mining at the centre of formalisation efforts, which require authorities to understand the challenges operators face while ensuring miners develop the technical and institutional capacity needed to operate responsibly.
For Zimbabwe, the issue has significant economic implications. Fidelity Gold Refinery figures cited in the article show that small-scale miners delivered approximately 34.9 tonnes of gold in 2025, compared with 11.8 tonnes from large-scale producers. The combined deliveries put the small-scale sector’s contribution at nearly 75% of the total, underlining its importance to national gold production and the formal gold market.
Chipangura, a former Mashonaland West provincial chairperson of the Zimbabwe Miners Federation, also welcomed measures she said were improving opportunities for small-scale miners in Zimbabwe, including reduced licence fees and the review of the Mines and Minerals Act.
Her remarks point to the importance of ensuring that formalisation policies reflect the realities of mining businesses, rather than relying solely on regulatory expectations. For miners, the practical ability to secure and maintain legal operating status is central to accessing formal markets and developing sustainable operations.
The IGF Mining Academy, supported by renewed funding from the Government of Canada, is intended to strengthen mining governance through practical training for government officials. Chipangura’s intervention raised the question of how such capacity-building initiatives could also incorporate the knowledge and experience of miners themselves.
She urged the international mining community to involve small-scale operators, particularly women and young people, in developing solutions for the sector.
“Invite small-scale miners to the table—not as beneficiaries, not as problems to be solved, but as experts, entrepreneurs and partners,” she said.
Her call highlights a central challenge for ASM policy: achieving responsible mining and effective formalisation requires not only capable institutions, but also meaningful engagement with the people whose operations those institutions regulate.