Lawmakers push for local universities to get mining claims

Trust Freddy-Herald Correspondent 

Legislators have called on the Government to grant local universities and research institutions mining claims so that they spearhead research and education on the country’s mineral resources and lessen dependency on outside expertise.

This came out during the 2025 budget debate in the National Assembly where legislators advocated for research institutions to be granted mining rights, citing the precedent set by the Government’s earlier allocation of farms to universities for research purposes.

Zanu PF Gokwe Kumbuyani MP Spencer Tshuma bemoaned the shortage of experts with hands-on mining experience, attributing this gap to local institutions’ inability to provide practical training.

“On minerals, the Minister of Finance should allocate the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education more funding for the following reasons; universities and colleagues offer education programmes in mining and processing,” he said.

“We continue to lag in mining so much that our universities are not churning out any experts who know minerals and they only know less than 60 percent.

The proposal comes as universities and research institutions face challenges in securing industrial attachment opportunities for their students in the mining sector. 

“I would also like to urge the Minister of Finance to give mining universities and colleges, mining rights if they offer such educational programmes just like agricultural programmes. 

“Most of the agricultural colleges have farms where they do practicals. Universities and colleges that offer mining programmes end up sending their students to nearby mines which may not be a very smooth programme. They need to have their mines, be it gold or chrome, so that they start the learning programme at that very college or institution and understand practically whether it is exploration, extraction or processing.”

He also added that the country needs to ensure that students get more detailed education about minerals found in the country instead of ending up being taught by foreigners.