The Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, within the framework of the Mining Sector Development Plan, is promoting, throughout the country, strategic actions, among national and foreign investors, which will make mining activity more sustainable, in the prevention of the environment, and support to populations residing in areas of prospecting and exploitation of mineral resources, said the National Director of Mineral Resources, on 25th April 2023.
Paulo Niva Tanganha, who spoke on the theme “Environmental Sustainability in the Mining Industry”, as part of the festivities program for the Angolan National Mining Day, which takes place today April 27 of the current year, said that the Executive in the exercise of mining activity has the commitment to instill a culture of social and environmental responsibility among national and foreign entrepreneurs, which will benefit the investor, the Government and the population.
“Sustainability is very important, because mining activity affects the environment and the lives of the populations that live in mining exploration and prospecting areas, and with these actions, the Executive wants companies to adopt a different governance posture that aims to bring justice for the benefit of the environment and people”, he said, referring that, in the past, the defunct Ministry of Geology and Mines had little infrastructure that limited inspectors from having access to exploration areas.
Today, according to Paulo Tanganha, the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas already has infrastructure that allows inspectors to be closer to mining projects.
“When companies request mining rights, and during the negotiation process, we have sensitized investors to focus on social actions that benefit the population. Just as the companies are making profits, the surrounding population is also should feel this benefit”, he said.
It should be remembered that, between 2013 and 2023, the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas issued around 400 mining titles, both exploration and prospecting.”
We are being more rigorous in assessing the feasibility of the businessmen’s technical and financial capacity so that the projects come to fruition, because the more mining programs we have, the more jobs we will have and the more taxes that the Government will benefit from”, said Paulo Tanganha.
The lecture on Environmental Sustainability in the mining industry was attended by officials from the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, the Ministry of Environment and Marine Resources, university professors, geologists, geophysicists, geographers, environmentalists, geology students and guests.
