WOMEN MINERS BACK GOLD ROYALTY CUT

AZWiM says rising licence fees and regulatory costs risk pushing small-scale operators back into informality despite tax relief measures.

By Francis Maingaila ♥️

Lusaka, Zambia24 — November 12, 2026 — The Association of Zambian Women in Mining (AZWiM) has welcomed the proposed reduction in gold royalties from six per cent to three per cent for artisanal and small-scale miners selling through approved aggregators, but warned that rising licence fees could undermine efforts to formalise the sector.

AZWiM President and Founder Namakau Amina Kaingu said the proposed reduction would ease financial pressure on women miners, improve their operating margins and encourage them to sell their gold through formal channels.

In a press statement issued on November 11, 2026, Ms Kaingu said formal trading would also improve price transparency and mineral traceability while protecting miners from exploitation by middlemen.

She also commended Government for raising the turnover tax threshold for artisanal and small-scale miners from K800,000 to K5 million under the 2026 Budget, saying the change had eased the tax burden on growing businesses.

Ms Kaingu said the reduction in penalties for late payment of turnover tax had also made compliance fairer and easier for small-scale operators.

However, she said the benefits of tax relief would remain limited if women miners continued to struggle with the cost of obtaining and renewing mining licences.

Ms Kaingu said many women operated on narrow profit margins, with limited access to finance, equipment and reliable markets, making higher regulatory fees difficult to sustain.

“Higher fees could therefore make formalisation unaffordable, discourage women from entering the formal sector, or force already licensed operators back into informality,” she said.

“Such an outcome would undermine the Government’s efforts to promote formalisation and orderly growth in the sector.”

She also warned that higher mobile money levies and permit fees proposed in the 2027 Budget would increase operating costs for small-scale miners who depend on mobile money to pay workers and receive payments.

Ms Kaingu further questioned whether the K450.7 million allocated for capacity building in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector would be sufficient to address the industry's needs and increase its contribution to national development.

She said artisanal and small-scale miners needed to be fully included in the country's growth agenda, particularly the ambition to increase annual copper production to three million metric tonnes.

Ms Kaingu said achieving the target would require sustained investment in technical training, mechanisation, occupational health and safety, as well as improved access to finance and markets.

To protect small-scale operators, AZWiM urged Government to introduce a separate, lower fee structure for Zambian artisanal and small-scale mining licence holders, instead of applying charges designed for large-scale operators and foreign investors.

The association also proposed allowing miners to pay licence and renewal fees in instalments and setting charges according to the size of mining operations rather than the type of mineral being extracted.

Ms Kaingu said Government should also speed up the establishment of approved gold aggregators and mineral marketing centres to ensure women miners, including those operating outside major trading centres, benefited from the proposed three per cent royalty rate.

She further called for dedicated budgetary support for women in mining, particularly in financing, mechanisation, skills development and occupational health and safety.

Ms Kaingu said AZWiM remained committed to working with the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development and the Zambia Revenue Authority to improve conditions for women miners.

She urged Government to maintain consultations with the association as the proposed measures were finalised and implemented.