The Institute noted that in countries like Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana, Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport forms an integral part of all transport related decisions.

“The major challenge we have in Malawi is that we need to create awareness of the profession so that we attract people for certificates and diploma courses,” said James Katunga, one of the people trying to revive the Institute in Malawi.

According to Katunga, who is also Logistics Director for Carlsberg Malawi Limited, a committee vested with the task of reorganising the Institute at Section level has since been put in place with a mandate to conduct an annual general meeting not later than July 2012.

“The Section has a constitution in place modelled on that of the mother body. A Secretariat, which is manned on a part time basis initially, is operational in AGMA house at Maselema,” he said.

Katunga also said the Institute’s membership started soaring with introduction of education programmes in 2007.

“Membership, which includes 10 chartered Fellows and 35 chartered members, now, stands at 600.  We anticipated that the number of chartered members will rise with the introduction of the advanced diploma in the study program,” Katunga said.

The Institute was first established in Malawi in 1959 with the only branch based in the country’s commercial city of Blantyre. Membership was basically drawn from employees of the main modes of transport i.e. rail, road, air and lake services.

Dr. Tony Aubynn believes managing the sustainability of Africa's mineral resources will further boost the continent's economic growth.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Mines, Dr. Toni Aubynn on Wednesday called on players in the extractive industry to effectively manage the sustainability of the mineral resources at their disposal.

This, he noted, would enable the African continent to develop at a pace that would be appreciable by all. “There is a crucial need for Africa to manage the sustainability of its mineral resources since mining has done a lot in the development of the continent,” noted Dr. Aubynn, at the media launch of the upcoming West African Mining and Power Conference & Exhibition (WAMPOC/WAMPEX) in Accra.The event is billed to take place at the Accra International Conference Center from 6–8 June, 2012, and it is expected to bring together mining coys from Mali, India, China, Senegal, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Niger, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Benin, Morocco, Belgium, Canada, Australia, Russia, Turkey, Ireland, U.K, Ireland, Italy, U.S.A, France, Germany, Poland and Thailand to showcase what they have to the rest of the world.

It is under the theme “Deepening partnerships for the sustainable development of Africa’s mineral and energy resources.”  The event focuses on the development of mining in the West African sub-region.

It offers a platform for showcasing and discussing development trends of the global market, challenges and future prospects of Africa’s mining and energy sectors.

It also provides a platform for players in the extractive and power industries to network and share ideas on how to move the industries forward.

According to Dr. Aubynn, mining contributes a lot to the economies of the African states and would therefore be suicidal for players in the extractive industry to neglect managing the sustainability of the mineral resources, adding “it is important as a continent to have a vision for the mining industry.”

He, therefore, advocated strengthening local participation in the extractive business, especially, those in the supply chain, since it is an avenue that can boost the economic advancement of the country.

As a first step towards the commitment of his proposal, he said the Ghana Chamber of Mines, the Minerals Commission and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) where twenty-nine (29) key areas have been identified on how to deepen local participation in the extractive industry.

Commenting on the media launch, the Director of Events & Projects International, Nana Darkwa said “WAMPOC/WAMPEX is one of the most effective ways during which mining and other related products are marketed. It is the best platform to move the mining and power industries forward.”

Mr. Benjamin Aryee, Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission on his part emphasized the need for mining coys to foster linkages in other to derive maximum benefits from the extractive business.

“With linkages, mining contributes significantly to the growth of the African continent,” he noted.

The Business Development Manager of the Volta River Authority (VRA), Kofi Ellis outlined how his outfit is embarking on clean sustainable energy to meet the growing demands of its clientele.

According to him, the VRA is looking at 150MW of wind power by 2014 – 2015 in addition to importing LPG where it would be turned to natural gas to provide affordable energy to fuel industries.

So it is not surprising that mining has come to dominate the export earnings of many African countries.
In 2005, minerals accounted for more than 80 percent of exports in Botswana, Congo, DRC, Guinea, and Sierra Leone and more than 50 percent in Zambia, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, and Namibia.
By 2008, sustained demand from a burgeoning Chinese economy had seen prices for minerals reach new heights.

But there is a puzzle: “If Africa is so resource-rich, how come most of its citizens are so very poor?” Despite the fact that over half of African countries are significant mineral producers, widespread poverty is still the norm.

Meeting the challenge
So the challenge is clear: “How can underground mineral potential translate into actual development for the millions of Africans living on the surface?” There have been many policies and approaches over the years that have begun to grapple with the task, but one of the most promising is the African Mining Vision (AMV).

The vision was adopted after the first meeting of African mineral resource development ministers held in Addis Ababa in late 2008 and was subsequently endorsed by the African heads of State and government at the February 2009 African Union Summit. As such, it is Africa’s own take on the problem.

What sets the AMV apart is that it extends policy beyond a narrow focus on mining itself. For the AMV, there is more to it than to managing the extraction of resources and then finding optimal ways to collect and apportion the revenue.
It is not that these things are not important – rather, the AMV approaches the issue differently. Central to the AMV approach is to put development outcomes at the heart of mineral regimes.

How does it work? A key point is that it is applicable at many levels. For example, when mining contracts are negotiated with foreign investors not only do the right revenue gathering instruments need to be in place, there also needs to be stipulations for local supply of goods and services to the mining operation.
The rationale is that this would stimulate the local economy and help prevent mines operating as enclave enterprises.

The bigger picture
But this example hardly does justice to the scale of the ambition evoked by a mining vision. If mining is to be the motor of development, that means thinking big. One such big example would be careful planning of the major infrastructure that takes minerals to port.
That means planning strategically and asking, “why does this road follow this route from mine to port, when if it were planned differently, it could also open up potential in export agriculture?”

In fact, many natural resources in Africa are left stranded in this way because they lie far from ports and near no transport routes whatsoever. It is not only mining that has unlocked potential.

But also note how the AMV encourages synergy between mining and other sectors. Development rarely comes from exploiting a single resource – in fact that leads to dependency.
Development is about leveraging one profitable business so that it helps another. Being visionary in the AMV sense means looking ahead and planning strategically.

But to be visionary also means expanding your horizons, and for the AMV, one such horizon is Africa’s national frontiers. One of the main reasons why Africa has been held back from developing through industrialisation is that its national markets are relatively small; and there is insufficient demand in a poor country to merit major manufacturing or even much mineral processing. But seen from a regional perspective, huge economies of scale can come into play.

That is why the African Union’s NEPAD initiative has set out plans for promoting corridors of development that span nation states and link up major transport routes with mines, power, and ports.
In each of these 17 trade super highways, there is an enhanced opportunity for businesses to get established and then to support each other. The Africa Mining Vision embraces this idea of corridors, clusters and linkages, and it calls for mining to be integrated into trade and industrial policy too.

Mining is uniquely placed to become the motor of African development because it is only mining that can raise the kinds of money that is needed to construct the big infrastructure links.
Mining can take the lead. It holds the key not only to unlocking the mineral wealth below but also the human capital above.

Vision into Action
Last December saw the second session of the African Union Conference on mining matters. African experts in mining and natural resources development, representatives of African chambers of mines and industry, African private sector, academia, UN agencies and NGOs and other partners joined Ministers Responsible for Mineral Resources Development in discussing the implementation of the Africa Mining Vision.

At their disposal, they had a major new report on Minerals and Africa’s Development. The report becomes the standard reference on which to base templates, toolkits, guidelines and briefing notes for African policy makers, government officials and other stakeholders involved in formulating and implementing new developmental mineral regimes.

The report
was compiled by a team of 20 experts – the
International Study Group (ISG) – drawn from the United
Nations, universities, civil society and the mining research
community in Africa, Europe and North America.

Chief, Infrastructure and Natural Resources
Development at the Regional Integration, Infrastructure and
Trade Division of UNECA Wilfred Lombe said: “This report concludes that
one reason that mineral wealth has not led to development in
Africa is that mining has until now often been treated as a
separate issue.
Most of the time policy decisions have been dominated by
questions of how best to tax mining
companies and then how to spend the revenue and this is a
reflection of the enclave status of much mining in
Africa.”

Mr Lombe added: “The ISG report is different because it
examines how mining could become the motor of development.
It puts mining centre stage and argues it can be a
catalyst for development rather than just a
revenue generating opportunity.”
Deputy minister of Mines and Natural Resources Richard Musukwa, is keen to see Zambia maximise benefits from its mineral resources in line with the vision.
Mr Musukwa, who represented Zambia at the conference, says the PF government is determined to address problems in the mining sector and ensure the country derives maximum benefits from its mineral resources.
In an interview on the sidelines of the Second African Union Conference of Ministers Responsible for Minerals Development yesterday, Mr Musukwa said it was clear that Zambia has not derived maximum benefit from mining taxes.
“Zambians must benefit from the mineral resources, there is no excuse. The PF government is determined to bring parity in the mining industry,” Mr Musukwa said.
“That is why people voted for us. We will not kill the goose that lays the golden egg but we want to ensure people, who have sacrificed for a long time, benefit from mineral resources,” he said.
Mr Musukwa said Zambia will take advantage of the African Mining Vision (AMV) to ensure the mineral resources benefit local communities.
“The AMV is like a redraft of the PF manifesto in terms of maximising benefits from mineral resources. Zambia is desirous to obtain maximum benefits from mineral resources by ensuring that mining companies contribute significantly to infrastructure development,” he said.
“It is gratifying to note that AMV was generated as a result of many countries not benefitting from mineral resources and this is evident in the Zambian scenario.
“Each time Zambians demand to benefit from mineral resources, there is shifting of goal posts such as claim of no profit.”
The conference also agreed an Action Plan which emphasises that now is the moment when Africa can tilt decisively towards development. It’s time to turn the Africa Mining Vision into Action.

A major report on all aspects of mining in Africa will be launched on the sidelines of the on going Conference of Ministers Responsible for Mineral Resources Development in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa tomorrow.
Titled ‘Minerals and Africa’s Development, the report was compiled by a team of 20 experts – the International Study Group (ISG) – drawn from the United Nations,universities, Civil Society and the mining research community in Africa, Europe and North America, according to a joint statement from theAfrican Union Commission (AUC) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) .
The experts were identified by UNECA and the AUC..
The report, which runs to over 200 pages includes numerous case studies and data on all aspects of mining in Africa – and frequently makes reference to experience outside the continent.

Wilfred Lombe, Chief, Infrastructure and Natural Resources Development at the Regional Integration, Infrastructure and Trade Division of ECA says: “This report concludes that one reason that mineral wealthhas not led to development in Africa is that mining has until now often been treated as a separate issue.
Most of the time policy decisions have been dominated by questions of how best to tax mining
companies and then how to spend the revenue and this is a reflection of the enclave status of much mining in Africa.”

Mr Lombe adds: “The ISG report is different because it examines how mining could become the motor of development.
It puts mining centre stage and argues it can be a catalyst for development rather just a
revenue generating opportunity”.

TherReport and the experts who compiled it are serving as a major resource for the Conference, whose theme is: ‘Building sustainable future for Africa’s extractive industry, from vision to action’.

Each chapter of the report identifies the policy implications that come out of its detailed analysis of Africa mining regimes.
It also emphasises that there is a need to revisit the major issues one by one; but this must be done each time from a development perspective.

The experts and senior officials are currently reviewing an Action Plan for consideration by the Ministers responsible for Minerals today and tomorrow.
The ministers are expected to adopt the Action Plan for implementation.

The five day conference has been jointly organised by the AUC and UNECA.

CITIZENS for a Better Environment (CBE) executive director Peter Sinkamba says African governments need to protect communities who resort to litigation against mining firms by making it mandatory for governmentts to indemnify them against costs if they lost their cases in court.
“We also need to develop quantum calculation framework for determination of the environmental and social liabilities across Africa.
The AU (African Union) needs to assist create a framework for financing of environmental and social guarantees/bonds,” said Mr Sinkamba, an environmental activist based in Zambia’s second city Kitwe, which is also the hub of the country’s Copperbelt.
He was speaking at the Second African Union Conference of Ministers Responsible for Minerals Development in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa today.
Mr Sinkamba said there is need for Africa’s mining regime to address the issue of mining rights versus surface rights whereby the former supercede the latter.
“Why should we evict communities and pay them one-off compensation without preparing them adquately on how to manage the funds.
We need to devise a system whereby they are compensated on on-going basis such as giving them one percent of pre-tax profit for the life of the mine. This is sustainable income,” he said.
Mr Sinkamba also suggested the creation of specific types of funds that need to be created to deal with-mining related liabilities as follows such as funds to address environmental liabilities during operational phase (progressive rehabilitation liabilities) and funds for securing decommissioning, closure and post-closure environmental liabilities.
He also called for establishment of funds to address social liabilities during operational phase (community development funds), funds to secure social liabilities at closure and post-closure, funds to address liabilities for derelict and ownerless mines, a future generations fund.
“We need to create the office of Ombudsman at AU level as a conflict resolution mechanism in the extractive sector,” Mr Sinkamba added.
The theme for the five day conference, which ends tomorrow, is “Building a Sustainable Future for Africa’s Extractive Industry: From Vision to Action.
The rationale for the conference is to address the question why Africa which posseses massive mineral resources and has a long history of mining hasn’t galvanized development across the continent.

THE second African Union Conference of ministers
Responsible for minerals development opened yesterday with a
clarion call for the continent to ensure that it achieves
economic development from its mineral wealth.
African Union Commission (AUC) Director for Trade and
Industry Jean Noel Francois was the first to give a litany
of challenges in Africa’s mining sector.
In his opening remarks to the five day conference whose
theme is :Building a Sustainable Future for Africa’s
Extractive Industries: From Vision to Action,” Mr Francois
noted that Africa’s mineral resources are fuelling the
growth and development of many industrialized and emerging
economies, yet the continent remains poor and dependent on
donor assistance for national budget support.
“Africa consumes very little of its own mineral resources
and exports most of it as raw materials, with little or no
local value addition and benefication.
This is a key challenge for the continent if it is to
achieve socio-economic development from its resource
wealth,” Mr francois said.
“Another important challenge is to ensure that the
mineral resource wealth serves as an engine of growth and
development long after minerals have been depleted,” he
said.
Mr Francois noted that Africa was ‘the continent of the
future’ and that with appropriate measures, it will
register higher percentages of growth.
“I want to say to you today; let’s get rid of
Afro-pessimism. Do not despair. Our future is in our hands
and we have an obligation towards history,” he said.
And UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Director for
Regional Integration, Infrastructure and Trade Division,
Stephen Karingi joined the growing list expressing
frustration as to why Africa continues being poor despite
its abundant mineral wealth.
“And we are all well aware that since 2003, mineral
commodity prices have surged on account of high demand in
emerging economies like China, India and Brazil which are
going through an unprecedented phase of industrial
expansion.
Yet we are further told that Africa has not really
benefitted from these high prices due to a number of
structural weaknesses in its mining sector,” Mr Karingi
said.
He noted that fiscal frameworks in Africa’s mineral
sector are not optimized-African governments have signed
mineral development agreements that provide far more
incentives and benefits to mining companies than anyone
else.
Mr Karingi said during the recent and continuing boom,
Africa’s share of the windfall earnings has been
negligible compared to what mining companies have realized.
In 2010, net profits for the top 40 mining companies grew
by 156 percent to US$110 billion and the net asset base of
these companies now exceeds US$1 trillion, he observed.
“The high earnings in the last seven years or so prompted
countries like Australia and India to increase taxes on
windfall earnings, and yet here in Africa, we are hesitant
to do so on account that we might frighten away the goose
and have no more golden eggs,” Mr Karingi said.
He also bemoaned that mining contracts in Africa remain
mired in secrecy; communities continue to be marginalized
and they are not stakeholders in mineral exploration.
“In any case, they lack voice and information on their
rights to participate in minerals decision making.
Yet they are the most affected, and often displaced, as new
mines develop,” Mr Karingi said.
He also noted that small scale mining in Africa is
often the forgotten sector and that in quite a number of
small scale mines, the activities continue to be illegal and
under exploited.
“Yet we are aware that small scale mining is not just a
potentially lucrative economic activity but socially
supports a number of rural livelihoods.
I can not therefore sufficiently emphasise the significance
of small scale mining to uplifting rural areas where some 70
percent of our population lives, in poverty mostly,” Mr
Karingi said.

The Mushishima is a tributary of the Kafue River, which accounts for about 40 percent of Zambia’s domestic water supply but is, unfortunately, also the country’s most polluted river.

Supreme Court judge Phillip Musonda sitting as High Court judge ordered that each of the 2000 residents be paid K4 million as general damages and K1 million as punitive damages.
He also ordered that the damages should attract the central bank’s long term deposit rate from the issuance of the writ to the day of judgment and later short-term deposit rate until payment is made.
In delivering judgment, Justice Musonda who castigated KCM for its irresponsible behavior said the development will deter would-be polluters from discharging poisonous substances without diminishing their potency to cause harm to the environment, human beings and animals.
In the judgment delivered on November 10, Justice Musonda said the polluting of the water by the mining company was lack of corporate social responsibility, criminal and a tipping point for corporate recklessness.
In 2007, James Nyasulu and others sued KCM, the Environmental Council of Zambia (ECZ), now Zambia Environmental management Agency (ZEMA) and Chingola Municipal Council for discharging effluent from its mining operations into the stream from which they get drinking water.
ECZ, as second defendant, was sued for allegedly failing or neglecting to carry out inspection or supervise maintenance of the pipes to meet the acceptable standards while the municipal council was sued for failing to take adequate measures to mitigate and control the effects of the pollution of water by maintaining sufficient water reserves.
But Justice Musonda did not find any case against ECZ because he found no negligence on their part, adding that ECZ did the best it could by even shutting KCM operations at one point.
He said ECZ was dealing with a truant investor and it was not too late to prosecute KCM and set an example to others.
Justice Musonda said the fact that Zambia was in dire need of foreign investment to improve the well-being of its people does not mean its people should be dehumanized by ‘greed and crude capitalism’ which put profit above human life.
He said the plaintiffs had proved their case against KCM in common law and statutory law that the mining company was reckless and had no regard for human, animal and plant life because they thought they were politically correct and connected.
“The courts have a duty to protect poor communities from the powerful and politically connected.
I agree with the plaintiff’s pleadings that KCM was shielded from criminal prosecution by political connections and financial influence, which put them beyond the pale of criminal justice,” Justice Musonda said.
He said whether human beings had died or not, there was gross recklessness on the part of KCM which must bear the moral, criminal and civil liability for the appalling tragedy because the company turned chingola residents into ‘guinea pigs’ and showed no remorse.
Justice Musonda said the plaintiffs had called victims of the pollution and expert evidence to prove that there was pollution.
Daison Mulenga, one of the affected residents who testified in the matter, told the court that in November 2006, there was no water supply for 10 days in Kabundi township and Mulonga Water and Sewerage Company supplied them with water pumped from Kafue River.
Mr Mulenga said after drinking the water, he experienced stomach pains, diarrhea and chest pains and that his sight was also affected.
Another witness Siku Nkambalume said his wife went to draw water from Kafue River for cooking, bathing and drinking but the following day, he had stomach pain and that him and the children had a runny stomach.
He was later informed by a doctor from Chingola’s Kakoso clinic that the water was polluted.
The judgment has cheered many.
Lusaka lawyer Kelvin Bwalya said he was happy that judgement had been passed in favour of his clients and that it was an important and a landmark case which can be used to pursue other offenders.

Reverend Esson Simbeye of Chingola, for example, says the K10 billion KCM has been ordered to pay for polluting the Mushishima stream is inadequate, but will at least serve as a ‘wake up call’ for mining companies to stop polluting the environment with impunity.
Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) principal information and communications officer Irene Chipili is upbeat about the judgment.
“As ZEMA, we are happy with the judgment because this has shown that we carried out our work in accordance with the provisions of the law then using the Environmental Protection and Pollution Control Act (EPPCA). For that reason, we were exonerated in this case,” Mrs Chipili said.

ZEMA was until April this year operating under the EPPCA which has since been repealed and replaced with the Environmental Managment Act (EMA). One of the reasons for this amendment related to the weak provisions in the EPPCA which the EMA has now taken care of.

“In comparison with the EPPCA, the EMA provides for enhanced public participation in environmental management. It provides for an option for both ZEMA and members of the public to sue for damages following pollution and this is the provision that was used by Chingola residents,” Mrs Chipili said.
“We would like to encourage more of such vigilant actions from members of the public because environmental protection should not be a preserve of enforcement agencies alone.
Effective environmental management in this country requires the active participation of all stakeholders including the general public.”

But KCM, a subsidiary of the London-registered Vedanta, whose market capitalization is more than US$4.4billion, says it is consulting its lawyers regarding its legal options following the Lusaka High court ruling.
KCM head of public relations Joy Sata said KCM is a responsible company which has adopted global best-practices and complies with all local regulatory requirements on environment, health and safety.
Ms Sata said KCM has a zero tolerance policy on any action that will compromise the health and safety of its employees or residents.
“Over the years, KCM has taken many steps, including a multi-billion dollar investment programme to address the many issues it inherited at privatization.
Significant progress has been made to date in upgrading its assets and reducing the risk of any adverse impacts on the environment,” she said.
But all in all, it is notable that legislation and enforcement is progressively taking care of interests of ordinary citizens who have been victims of environmentally unfriendly mining activities.

A total of 106 out of the 136 RCB have met the new minimum capital requirement set by the Bank of Ghana (BoG).

Checks at the Banking Supervision Department of the BoG indicate that only 30 of the registered rural banks are yet to fully meet the new requirements.

The new minimum capital requirements set in 2008, requires the rural banks to up their stated capital from GH¢50,000 to GH¢150,000. With the current development, it implies that the rural banking sector have shored up a total capital of GH¢15.9 million.

This is meant to strengthen the operational capital of the banks so that they do not depend on the central bank and customers.

The level of risks in the operational, liquidity and credit facilities of RCB necessitated the new requirements.

The capitalization requirement constitutes part of the central bank’s strategy to deepen the financial sector and support Ghana’s drive for accelerated growth.

Under the BOG’s requirement, Rural and Community Banks which fail to increase their capital base to Ghc150,000 will not be permitted to open agencies and pay dividends to its shareholders. Interestingly the central bank has not set any deadline for the RCBs to meet the new requirement.

Rural banks were first established in Ghana in 1976 to provide banking services to the rural population, providing credit to small-scale farmers and businesses and supporting development projects, with the first being in Agona Nyakrom in Central Region. The banks are locally owned and managed.

They are supervised by the clearing bank ARB Apex Bank under the regulation of the Bank of Ghana, which owns shares in the banks.