NEWS
Malawi President eyes mining as key money maker
Malawi ’ s President Lazarus Chakwera has announced plans to reform the country ’ s mining sector to boost the economy and crack down on rampant , illegal mining and mineral smuggling . Chakwera said , if properly regulated , mining could play a major role in Malawi ’ s economy , currently one of the poorest in Africa . Malawi ’ s president , in a national television address late Sunday , said a wellregulated mining sector has the potential to develop the country ’ s economy . Lazarus Chakwera noted that despite a lot of mineral resources in Malawi , the sector has faced exploitation not only by foreigners but also local miners .
He gave an example of uranium mining activities in the Kayelekera area of northern Malawi , run by Australiabased company Paladin Africa , which he said did not yield the desired results . “ Although the Kayelekera sandstone uranium deposit was discovered during Malawi ’ s first presidency in 1982 , six presidencies later our country has nothing developmental to show for it , not even in the Kayelekera community itself ,” said Chakwera .
Chakwera said Malawi has issued over 250 mining licenses but has no
Wenco acquires fatigue monitoring wearable device maker SmartCap
Wenco International Mining Systems has acquired all assets and intellectual property of fatigue monitoring wearable maker SmartCap Technologies . The deal will merge fatigue monitoring capability to the safety solution portfolio of Wenco . The SmartCap device evaluates fatigue levels in real-time and screens for oncoming microsleeps that can cause safety hazards . More than 5,000 consumers in mining , trucking , and various sectors are using the device . Wenco noted that the SmartCap improves the workers ’ ability to stay safe . SmartCap CEO Tim Ekert said : “ This purchase is an important step for the proper mining industry or returns to speak of . Minerals found in Malawi include uranium , gold , bauxite , coal and phosphates . The country has a proliferation of small-scale miners - most of whom are operating without a license .
In 2018 Malawi police and soldiers cracked down on a gold mining site outside the capital , Lilongwe , that was attracting foreign buyers from neighboring countries . They burnt down the mining site and shacks and also arrested some illegal miners . Percy Maleta is the chairperson for Nyasa Mining Corporative in the capital Lilongwe . He says the minerals being mined do not generate any revenue for the country .
“ We have a sector which doesn ’ t pay tax especially with the gold rush where we are losing a lot of land to unprofessional type of mining ,” said Maleta . “ When we are exporting these stones , very few stones go through the system . I wouldn ’ t ever be surprised to say that it is less than 10 %. Most of our stones are being taken outside Malawi through unchartered routes .”
He says there is greater need to bring sanity into the industry so it can replace
continued growth of the SmartCap fatigue technology . We have made significant progress these past eight years and we are proud of every safety incident our technology has prevented . “ We believe joining Wenco will enable us to grow even further and increase the safety of even more industrial operations .”
Lately , Wenco and its parent company Hitachi Construction Machinery ( HCM , have concentrated on solutions for simplifying and enhancing end-toend mining venture , with safety as the primary concern . SmartCap is expected to add a fatigue analysis layer for tobacco as Malawi ’ s main source of foreign exchange . Lawmaker Welani Chilenga chairs the Natural Resources Committee in Malawi parliament .
He told a local radio Monday that Malawi has enough laws to regulate the mining industry but the problem is implementing them . “ As a country we have a very strong Mines and Minerals Act ,” said Chilenga . “ Implementation is not taking place . If the act was implemented illegal mining would not have been there . We have mine all over . We don ’ t have to regularize illegal mining . We should have contained according to the law . So , the government is failing to implement the existing laws which parliament passed which are the biggest problem .”
In his speech , President Chakwera said the ministry of mining will work with the police to curb illegal mining and smuggling activities .
operator protection to the digital mining drive . It may be incorporated under HCM ’ s Solution Linkage family , the ICT / IoT solution platform for worldwide mining and construction clients made in response to high demands for enhanced safety , lifecycle cost , and output . Wenco president and CEO Andrew Pyne said : “ Wenco has long been observing SmartCap ’ s success in enhancing safety for their customers , and we have been in regular discussion on how we can integrate our technologies to provide a comprehensive , next-generation safety solution .
“ Ultimately , it was decided that bringing our technology , personnel , and business relationships together under Wenco offered the greatest opportunity for us to deliver on our mutual vision for mine safety .”
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