Story by Justin Mahlahla
THE government has called for the formulation of a national policy to guide the development of skills in the mining sector.
The call was made by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development, Ambassador Rudo Mabel Chitiga, during a panel discussion at the Swedish-Zimbabwe Sustainability in Mining Expo held in Harare this Friday.
Ambassador Chitiga highlighted challenges of skills development in the mining sector, which must be addressed for Zimbabwe to benefit from its vast mineral resources.
She emphasised the need for specialised education and training targeting the mining sector, which can be accelerated by establishing universities or institutions that focus on mining-related skills, such as machine learning and robotics.
“The mining industry is expected to play a central role to the attainment of an upper-middle-income economy by 2030,” she said.
“However, the sector faces a significant challenge, a substantial skills gap that threatens its growth and sustainability. A Skills Needs Assessment carried out by the Ministry of Skills Audit and Development in 2024 found a skills gap in science-related fields such as mining engineering, metallurgy and mineral processing.
“Additionally, there is a growing demand for new skills to manage technological advancements, automation, digitalisation and sustainability in mining operations.
“The assessment identified several critical skills gaps in the following areas, metallurgy, geology, engineering, maintenance, data analysis, automation, mineral resource accounting, mining value chain management, formalising mining operations and financial literacy for small-scale miners, environmental stewardship, supply chain optimisation, safety management and community engagement.”
In addition, the Permanent Secretary said upgrading the infrastructure of existing training schools to support modern mining education as well as retooling of academic institutions are key to ensuring that academic institutions are equipped to provide training in emerging technologies.
“Various institutions, including the Zimbabwe School of Mines (ZSM), are making efforts to address these gaps. ZSM has modernised its curriculum to include emerging technologies, but there is a need for retooling and upgrading of facilities at other training institutions as well,” she said.
“The industry is also witnessing significant investments and the introduction of robotics and automation among other AI-driven mining techniques, which require a highly skilled workforce.
“There is therefore need for skills development to focus on areas such as mining and rock technology, metal cutting technology, materials technology, ESG, R&D, sustainable sourcing, data analysis, machine learning, process optimisation, automation, advanced safety technologies, geo-technology, Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles and drones.”
Ambassador Chitiga said countries such as Sweden can partner with Zimbabwe in the area of value addition and beneficiation, collaborating on research and development, providing training and capacity-building programmes, as well as supporting the development of infrastructure necessary for value addition and beneficiation.
Key drivers of the skills shortage in the mining sector include the rapid advancement in technology, the green transition and its emphasis on environmental protection, generational shifts where young workers lack older workers to provide mentorship, lack of holistic skills transfer including from expatriates and uncompetitive conditions of service, resulting in exodus of skilled workers.
