In October 2019, the President launched the roadmap to achieving a 12 billion-dollar mining industry by 2023. Unsurprisingly, the government did not achieve the target. But, however ambitious it may appear, a mining industry that produces revenues of 12 billion dollars is achievable given Zimbabwe’s rich and diverse mineral resources, with nearly 40 exploitable minerals. The country also boasts the world’s second-largest platinum deposit and high-grade chromium ores, with approximately 2.8 billion tons of PGM and 10 billion tons of chromium ore.

Another country in the region, Botswana, provides evidence for the potential of accountable and equitable mineral resource exploitation to uplift a country’s economy and transform the lives of its people. Botswana is among the world’s fastest-growing economies, with an average growth rate of 5% per annum over the past decade. Botswana’s economy is built on a foundation of diamond mining. It is ranked second among the least corrupt countries in sub-Saharan Africa by the Corruption Perceptions Index, with a sound policy framework for the prudent management of wealth from mineral resources. Critical factors to Botswana’s success are high levels of political commitment to good governance and transparency and ensuring public oversight of investments in resources. This example clearly shows that if Zimbabwe is to attain the 12 billion dollar target, the most critical thing that the country needs to do is to implement measures and mechanisms to promote accountability, transparency, and good governance in mineral resources management.

In Zimbabwe, weak transparency and accountability systems in managing mining resources are among the challenges in attaining the targeted revenue. Over the years, the Auditor General’s reports have repeatedly revealed that public sector mismanagement and deep-seated corruption have affected mining and other sectors. A four-part video documentary by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit) recently revealed the massive smuggling of gold resources in Zimbabwe, which results in the country losing hundreds of millions of dollars annually

The Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce has argued that lax customs and security systems, corruption among top government officials, and inefficiency in revenue collection contribute to the loss of Zimbabwe’s revenues from mineral resources. The government continues to enter into mining contracts, announcing ‘mega deals’ without public scrutiny and parliamentary oversight. A lack of open contracting harms the benefits to local communities, who are the rightful owners of the resources and revenue allocated to the national fiscus. Moreover, in many communities, mining activities have done more harm than good, resulting in environmental degradation, pollution, and displacement of people from their settlements with little or no compensation

Despite this gloomy context, Zimbabwe still has a huge opportunity to promote accountability and transparency in the mining sector by taking the following measures

1. The government of Zimbabwe should encourage transparency and Accountability in mineral resource management to accelerate the achievement of the 12 billion dollar mining economy, which is critical for poverty reduction and improvement of the living standards of ordinary Zimbabweans.
2. There is also a need for transparency and Accountability in issuing mining contracts and licenses to investors. Information about the contracts should be easily and freely accessible to allow for scrutiny by the public and parliament.
3. The Parliament of Zimbabwe should promote the accountable management of mining resources by holding both the government and mining companies accountable for mining revenue.
4. The Government and mining companies should be accountable to mining communities and should disclose in a clear, accurate, and complete manner, and to a reasonable and sufficient degree, the policies, decisions, and activities for which they are responsible, including known and likely impacts on society and the environment;
5. Civil society organizations should continue working with communities, policymakers, and government to strengthen Accountability in mineral resources governance.
6. Citizens’ participation should be at the heart of mineral resources management

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Alois Nyamazana is the Monitoring Evaluation and Learning Manager at Accountability Lab Zimbabwe