Kigali, December 04, 2024 – Prime Minister, Dr. Ngirente graced the opening of the seventh edition of Rwanda Mining Week held under the theme: Mining for community development, at the Kigali Conference and Exhibition Village (KCEV). 

The opening of this event also marks the celebration of the International Mining Day observed every 04^th December. 

Mining Week runs from 04 to 06 December covering a wide range of mining relevant activities including site visits to the yet to be operationalized geoscience laboratory that offers cutting-edge mineral analysis and testing, visit to Africa’s largest tungsten mine – Nyakabingo Mine – one of the three mines by Trinity Metals Group, and the graduation of 500 miners who have completed their recognition of prior learning programme tailored to hone actual miners’ skills through on-job hands-on skills training to accelerate their career progression as the mining sector now banks on professionalization and mechanization. 

Speaking at the event, the CEO of RMB, KAMANZI Francis, lauded continued collaboration between various actors in the mining sector and stakeholders. He underscored that mining is a lifeline to communities since it significantly plays a role in the livelihoods, economic development through the creation of thousands of jobs to the youth, offers avenues for entrepreneurship for responsible investors. 

CEO KAMANZI highlighted that the mining sector is poised for an even more growth given the sector’s potential yet to be fully optimized. This speaks to the local industrialization and global green transition which Rwanda’s critical raw minerals are expected to make. This sets a precedence for mining’s promising potential to double the sector’s overall contribution to the revenues and GDP in the next five years with the bold target to rake in $2.17 B by 2029 thanks to the current sector’s upward performance trend. 

As 2024 draws to a close, the extractive industry has seen the new law governing mining and quarry operations which among other things tackles illegal mining and illicit mineral selling while at the same enforcing rigorous compliance with environmental, social and governance principles which in turn inform the sector’s responsiveness to the occupational, health and safety standards. 

The chairman of Rwanda Mining Association, Mr. Leonidas Simpenzwe eulogized brave women and men in mining who spend their day under the earth extracting minerals that power our modern civilization from housing, to automobiles, modern telecommunication and high end technological breakthroughs. 

Leonidas stated that Rwanda Mining Association’s role ‘ is to advocate for the interests of the mining industry, ensure that best practices are followed, and collaborate with all stakeholders to unlock the potential of Rwanda’s mining resources’.

Equally noteworthy is Josiane Nsanza Usanase, a shining example of endless possibilities which women in mining continue to register as she now leads a mining company dealing in cassiterite and coltan. 

Recounting her captivating story of how she got into the mining industry, she had this to say: 

As my interest in the industry deepened, another experience that solidified my passion was when I visited a mine for the first time with my father. What captivated me was not just the impressive machinery or the complex processes but the profound bond between the mine and the surrounding community. Before employees could speak with my father, local residents eagerly approached us, eager to share updates about the mining operations and the mine’s impact on the community. This experience left a lasting impression on me: mining does not just bring employment and economic benefits, but it also builds strong relationships with the communities it serves.

The Right Honorable Prime Minister, Dr. Ngirente Eduard, said that mining for community development well aligns with the government's citizen-centered approach that puts communities at the center of our development priorities.  He appreciated how, through the mining revenue sharing scheme, the mining sector was able to allocate 2 billion RWF to 8 mining- host districts between 2019 and 2023 leading to social and economic transformation with tangible impact on our people.

As the mining sector now works to achieve the $2.17 B NST-2 target, the Prime Minister reminded that mining professionals mustn’t do business as usual. Rather, mining industry players must intensify their efforts to adopt environmentally friendly mining practices and advanced mineral exploration techniques. 

The Prime Minister commended the recognition of prior learning program – a process for acknowledging the skills acquired in different informal workplace contexts something which enables miners to acquire best practices that match up to date market standards

Given the ongoing efforts to professionalize mining by stamping out prevalent illegal mining cases and associated social unrest and conflicts, the Government has put in place strong legal tools including the new law on mining and quarry operations which impose severe sanctions to anyone who run afoul of the new law provisions. 

In this context, the Prime Minister had the following to note: 

First, the Government urges mining operators to only participate in legal mining activities. We ask you to follow the rules of the new mining and quarry operations law. Second, the Government will continue collaborating with strategic investors in mineral exploration activities, mineral value addition, as well as mineral trading.