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The Federation of Small Scale Mining Associations of Zambia (FSSMAZ) has expressed serious concern over what it calls “fundamentally misaligned” regulatory conditions under the newly introduced Artisanal Mining Right (AMR), warning that the current framework risked excluding the very people it was meant to support.
FSSMAZ president, Joseph Mwansa, has urged government agencies to collaborate with miners in reviewing AMR requirements to ensure they reflected on-the-ground realities and foster a fully formalised, compliant, and thriving mining sector for all Zambians.
In an interview with journalists, Mwansa highlighted that several conditions attached to the AMR—such as the requirement for a Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) approved Environmental Project Brief, along with detailed business development and employment plans—were disproportionately burdensome for artisanal miners and cooperatives.
“These requirements resemble those for established small-scale operations rather than for informal miners seeking to enter the legal system,” he said, describing the regulations as a “critical misapplication” of the law.
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“These conditions do not regulate artisanal mining—they effectively exclude it. The cost of ZEMA compliance alone, which can reach up to K100,000, is simply impossible for the average artisanal miner. We must be candid that the current framework contradicts the stated national goal of formalising the sector,” Mwansa added.
He further noted that the stringent requirements undermined government efforts to transition illegal miners into the mainstream economy.
Many artisanal miners lack the formal education and business experience needed to navigate highly technical application procedures, leaving them trapped outside the legal framework and perpetuating the very challenges the policy aims to resolve.
Beyond licensing concerns, FSSMAZ also highlighted inefficiencies in the mineral export process, which miners rely on to trade legally.
While the process should take no more than four hours, members report delays of up to four days due to system failures, network outages, and the absence of manual backup options at export points.
“A nation in economic recovery cannot afford such inefficiencies. Our members are losing money through missed flights and demurrage simply because digital systems are offline. This is unacceptable,” Mwansa said.
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