The Zambian government has announced policy guidelines for uranium mining will be ready by early next year, Minister of Mines Kalombo T. Mwansa told a conference in Perth today.
The full text of an announcement made on his behalf is pasted below
The uranium rich African state of Zambia says it expects to have its formal uranium mining policy in place by the end of the year - a move it expects will crystallise much wider uranium exploration investment in the country.
Addressing today the second day in Perth of the 2007 Paydirt Africa DownUnder Conference, the Hon Kalombo T. Mwansa, Zambia's Minister of Mines, said no mining licences for uranium had yet been issued in Zambia but that situation would change by early next year.
"A number of uranium prospecting licences have been issued to service some current such activity in the southern part of the country," Dr Mwansa said.
"The Government is, however, still finalising our policy on uranium in line with International Atomic Energy Agency guidelines," he said.
"These policy guidelines will be ready by the end of year and can be expected to be followed up by the granting of uranium mining licences to successful explorers wishing to commercialise a discovery."
Dr Mwansa said the policy would ensure the incentives were in place to encourage companies to proceed to mining development.
"Whether uranium or many of the other mineral commodities in Zambia, we want to extend large-scale mining to all nine provinces in Zambia," Dr Mwansa said.
"The potential in our country is enormous. Only 55% of it has been geologically mapped and there is therefore room for considerable mineral discoveries and risk free exploration and development investment. We are committed to establishing a private sector driven mining economy which can lift mining's contribution to 20% of Zambia GDP from 12% currently."
Zambia is host already to a number of Australian explorers, including Equinox, Albidon, Zambezi Resources, African Energy Resources, Omegacorp Minerals, Aldershot Resources and Luiri Gold.
