Germany’s Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Muller has urged mining companies to pay taxes to Government as this is the only way the country will fully benefit from its mineral resources.
Mr Muller said the country is endowed with valuable minerals, and that Government should see to it that Zambians benefit.
Speaking after touring Mopani Copper Mines (MCM) and Chapamo Mineral Processing Limited yesterday, Mr Muller said Government should collect fair taxes from the minerals to foster economic growth.
“I am fighting for a fair value chain and fair wages paid in the Zambian mines and this can be achieved once the Zambian government ensures fair prices are paid for the minerals,” Mr Muller said.
He said if good wages are paid to the local people, it will enable them to support their families, thereby help to fight poverty in the country.
And Mr Muller expressed happiness that Government has empowered the local people by giving them a 10 percent share of the copper slag dump popularly known as Black Mountain.
He said the move is remarkable as it has created job opportunities.
Mr Muller said minerals at the Black Mountain are equally valuable as they can be used to manufacture laptops and phones.
And Copperbelt Permanent Secretary Bright Nundwe said Government values its citizens and will continue to identify means of empowering them.
Mr Nundwe urged small-scale miners at the Black Mountain to maintain sanity at the site.
Mr Muller and his entourage also toured the one megawatt solar power plant project at the Copperbelt University [CBU] which was built by Copperbelt Energy Corperation (CEC) with support from the German government.