The processes of licensing and sale of mineral products legally in Mozambique will be improved so that the government can improve monitoring of artisanal and small-scale mining, the minister of Mineral Resources and Energy said recently.

Minister Letícia Klemens, speaking in the city of Matola, Maputo province, during a meeting with partners to assess the sector, said her ministry has so far granted 234 licenses on mining concessions and more than 4,000 licenses for prospecting and research.

“Of the 234 licenses and mining concessions issued, we have only 10 in the prospecting phase for production, which is still very little. This reflection will allow us to analyse the constraints and identify the best way of inspecting all existing activities in the country, so that we have adequate information about the quantity and quality of existing resources,” she said.

The minister recalled that the licenses reserved for Mozambican citizens have been “rented” to foreigners, “something that also adds to the difficulties we have in supervising our mineral resources.”

The minister, quoted by daily newspaper Noticias said that the government intends to organise artisanal and small-scale operators in cooperatives, having already launched a pilot programme to grant licenses for mining “to see if this project is viable.” (macauhub)