DRC To Allocate 0.3% of Mining Annual Turnover To Communities
A new mining law in neighbouring DRC seeks to offer 0.3% of the annual turnover to communities hosting the mining sites. However, this law seems very difficult to implement according to local observers.
Reports reaching Taarifa Business Desk show that the Minister of Mines Willy Kitobo has set up a workshop Lubumbashi, capital of the province of Haut-Katanga scheduled on March 29-30.
According to Minister Kitobo, this workshop concerns mining companies and local communities but also, it will serve as a framework for discussing the difficulties of transforming on site the copper sulphide concentrates produced in the provinces of Lualaba and Haut-Katanga.
“It will be an opportunity to discuss developments in terms of efforts undertaken by all stakeholders, in order to find an ideal solution for challenges in the Congolese economy highly dependent on the mining sector,” said Kitobo.
The development of the specifications and the provision of the Mining Law on the payment of the quota of 0.3% of the annual turnover will also be on the agenda of this meeting.
“We will debate with local communities, civil society organizations and technical and financial partners around the development of specifications and the provision of the Mining Law on payment of the quota of 0.3% of the annual turnover allocated to community development, ” Kitobo said.
Former President Joseph Kabila had in 2018 signed a new mining code. This code includes several innovations, in particular a series of positive provisions for local communities. However, some of these provisions are difficult to implement.
This workshop convenes at a time of the expiry of the moratorium granted to mining operators on the export of concentrates copper sulphide which will end on April 12th.
