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By Hillary Munedzi
Youths have been urged to embrace a start-up culture and find new disruptive ideas and technologies to grow and move forward as the country gears towards a US$12 billion mining economy.
The African continent has more than 40% of Africa’s population aged between 15-24 years and this number is expected to double by 2045 so youths have been urged to focus beyond primary mining activities.
African countries are realizing the key to further growth and development is through industrialization and manufacturing and many opportunities are along the mining value chain, beneficiation, and creating new products.
Speaking to the Business Times at a local Hotel in Harare recently, the President of Young Miners for Economic Development (YMED), Mr. Nyasha Magadhi said that his organization will do free pegging and mine registration for youths who want to venture into the mining industry and bridge the employment gap and reposition mining as an employer of choice, as well as a key job creator in the country.
“As YMED we are a group of young people with different mining backgrounds, we are going to peg mining claims for the youth and also help them source capital to start mining.
“We are also going to help other youths who may be interested in value addition and beneficiation of minerals with opportunities and capital by inviting investors to work with them and we support the Government’s decision to ban the export of raw minerals as this will open opportunities for young people,” said Magadhi.
The industry has been urged to incorporate new ideas and new technologies, remain relevant, and attract the young technical savvy youths into the industry and bridge the gender gap.
This will enable the industry to grow and move forward with a key focus on gender and STEAM (science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics).
“There are many youths in the country who are professionals in the mining industry. We are therefore calling them to join the ASM industry and not wait to be employed by large-scale producers. Their involvement in the ASM will be of great significance in the ASM revolution and make the mining sector in Zimbabwe world-class.
“We will also be working with communities, identifying every district in the country by its opportunities. We are therefore in place to offer communities with mining opportunities through pegging mining claims for them, offer training, looking for investors to work with the communities and ensuring that they venture into value addition and beneficiation of minerals,” he said.