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Leonard Ncube, [email protected]

THE Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe has elected new executives to lead the organisation until next year.

Announcing the new office bearers during the 2023 mining conference this afternoon, Chamber of Mines chief executive officer, Mr Isaac Kwesu, said Mr Thomas Gono of Golden Reef Mine is the new president for the 2023-2024 period.

He replaces Mr Colin Chibafa of Anglo American’s Unki Mine who becomes the immediate past president of the Chamber of Mines. 

Mr Gono was Mr Chibafa’s deputy and assumes duty at a time when the sector is intensifying its drive towards achieving the US$12 billion target by the end of this year.

Chamber of mines vice president Mr John Musekiwa

He will be deputised by Mr John Musekiwa from Zimasco as first vice president and Mr Munashe Shava, the administrator of Hwange Colliery Company as the second vice president.

“We met yesterday as per the constitution of the chamber and elected new office bearers. Mr Thomas Gono was elected president of the chamber for the year 2023-2024,” said Mr Kwesu

The conference started with the council meeting and annual general meeting on Tuesday and ends with a golf tournament on Friday.

It is running under the theme: “Mining for economic development: Creating growth enablers for the mining industry.”

The conference is set for official opening today and organizers have lined up a detailed programme of action covering a wide range of issues affecting the mining industry.

Mining is one of Zimbabwe’s key economic drivers alongside agriculture, manufacturing, and tourism and plays a critical role in the economic transformation agenda as espoused in the National Development Strategy.

Among areas of deliberation during the indaba are ways to unleash the growth potential of the battery minerals value, prospects for a regional battery minerals value, developing battery minerals value chain with a case study of global experiences and strengthening governance in the batteries minerals value chain, best practice, as well as the overview of the Zimbabwe lithium sector.

Also, to be discussed will avenues to consolidate growth drivers for the  mining industry, how to address challenges undermining the potential growth of mineral sub-sectors, with electricity supply for the mining industry and alternative energy solutions for mining companies expected to take centre stage.