The Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Max Tonela, on Monday advocated the “formalization” of artisanal mining in order to promote the sector’s contribution to the country’s social and economic development.
The minister advocated the integration of artisanal mining operators in the formal economy circuit, while speaking during a preparatory meeting for the artisanal mining census, which the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy will conduct this year.
“The formalization of artisanal mining will allow us to better exploit and better contribute to the social and economic development of the communities and the country,” Tonela said.
That sector, he continued, is characterized by a notable presence of smuggling, mainly of gems, which deprives the communities and the country of the profits that should be provided by the legal exploitation of mineral resources.
“Mineral resources should constitute an asset for the social and economic development of the country,” he insisted.
The formalization of the artisanal sector will also be an avenue for transparent and environmentally sustainable exploitation, he maintained.
The census planned for this year, which will be the first in the country, will allow the survey of quantitative data in the sector and create conditions for the definition of strategies aimed at the formalization of operators.
