Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Ministry of Mining has ventured into partnership with the Southern-African German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SA German Chamber) with the aim to
improve the mining sector. The Ministry of Mining Principal Secretary (PS) Adv. Tšokolo Maina said their engagement will be on how the business sector can develop the country,
specifically mining, which is one of the important industries in the world today and sourcing which will afford local companies an opportunity to supply
the global value chain of German and European companies and training with particular focus on establishing sustainable structures. “We are starting something new for the country, something that we hope will become the greatest
force one has ever seen to push our dream of taking this country forward,” he said. Maina further said National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP II) identifies
the mining industry as potent to accelerate economic growth by serving as an enabler to all productive sectors to create jobs and economic growth. Competence
Centre for Mining and Mineral Resources (CCMR) Project Manager Gerard Mohapi said CCMR is aligned with the resource strategy of the Federal Republic of
Germany. He said the Centre’s main focus is on Southern Africa, Tanzania and the Central African Republic and these markets contribute to the security and
the diversity of raw material supply to German. He added that Southern African Development Community (SADC) also serves as a market for German technology
products and services. Mohapi further said the German’s raw materials strategy objectives is to remove trade barriers and distortions of competition and also
help German enterprises to diversify their sources of raw materials. It further helps the industry to develop synergies from sustainable economic activities
and enhanced materials efficiency. “The Competence Centre aims to be the central point of contact for bilateral trade relations between German companies
and Southern Africa’s raw materials sector,” he said. The Minister of Mining Hon. Serialong Qoo said history has taught them that the best way for the world to keep developing in a positive way is through
multilateral engagements between countries hence their appreciation for this endeavor. He said their relationship with SA German Chamber started in 2019
though it was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. “But that was not before a few of the ground works were laid down such as the mine health and safety
seminar that proved particularly useful in the preparedness of our mines to go back to work amid the pandemic, in the process saving many jobs and guaranteeing much needed revenue to the country’s coffers,” he said.
Qoo further said it is their desire to deepen their relationship with their partners and keep working for the advancement of the world and development of
their respective countries. He emphasized that they will be looking to collaborate closely with the SA German Chamber and hope they will be able to assist them in the development of the
mining sector and the economy at large. He continued to say that mining is among the chief contributors to the economy and job creation and it has proven
to be even more important to the economy due to the instability caused by COVID-19. “Especially taking into account that the majority of employees at any
given mine are artisans and due to the high unemployment rate and the communal living practiced in the country, they tend to support large families,’’ he
said. The Mining Minister said it is increasingly difficult and expensive to train artisans due to lack of appropriate vocational education in the country.
He said they are looking forward to working with the SA German Chamber and the Ministry of Education for establishment of appropriate artisan training in the country not just for the mining sector but for the whole sphere of economic activity which include construction.
