KADOMA – Artisanal and small-scale miners drove a record 34.9 tonnes of gold deliveries to Fidelity Gold Refinery in 2025, forming the bulk of the country’s total 46.7 tonnes output, an official has said.
This was a 28 percent increase over the 36.48 tonnes produced in 2024.
The figures were announced by the Zimbabwe School of Mines principal Edwin Gwaze on Thursday in Chegutu, where 300 miners graduated in responsible mining practices under a government-backed training programme aimed at formalising the sector and boosting productivity.
The graduation following training conducted at Mutapa Gold Resources-owned Elvington Mine in Chegutu, is being positioned as a grassroots push to formalise a sector that underpins rural livelihoods but has long been marked by informality and safety risks.
Gwaze said the training marked a shift from subsistence mining to structured enterprises anchored on skills and safety.
“This performance… was fuelled by strong global prices, increased formalisation and supportive government policies,” he said.
“Today marks a defining moment… a transition from the shadows of informality to the light of professional excellence.”
He said the programme had equipped miners with practical skills ranging from mining methods to safety and financial planning after 32 hours of intensive training.
“You now hold a certificate that is more than just a piece of paper. It is a passport to formality… your credential to move from being a worker to being an entrepreneur,” he said.
In a notable shift in the sector’s demographics, 148 of the 300 graduates were women, nearly half the cohort, reflecting growing female participation in mining at community level.
Mines and Mining Development Minister Polite Kambamura said the sector was now central to Zimbabwe’s economic ambitions and would anchor future growth.
“The artisanal small-scale mining sector is no longer a peripheral activity in our economy. It consistently delivers more than 60 percent of gold… and sustains hundreds of thousands of livelihoods,” he said.
“When we speak of the US$12 billion mining economy… we are speaking of a future that cannot be built without this subsector.”
Kambamura said the government would scale up training through a nationwide rollout of mobile mining schools and deploy mining development officers in every district.
“This programme is a blueprint for mobile mining schools, training delivered directly in mining hubs across all provinces… My ministry will roll out this model nationally,” he said.
He added that the training formed part of the Responsible Mining Initiative launched in 2025 to address safety, environmental and compliance gaps.
“For too long, this sector has carried burdens… avoidable accidents, poor mineral accountability and exclusion from formal capital. This programme was designed to close that gap,” he said.
The initiative, funded by Mutapa Gold Resources, is also being replicated at other sites as part of efforts to integrate small-scale miners into formal value chains.
Mutapa Gold Resources chief executive Patrick Museva Shayawabaya said the programme demonstrated that gold production could grow “responsibly, safely and inclusively while protecting the environment and improving livelihoods in our communities.”
“Formalisation of artisanal mining is not an event. It is a process that needs partnership,” he said.
As Zimbabwe targets higher gold output, officials say empowering small-scale miners at community level could unlock productivity while reducing accidents and environmental damage, turning a historically informal sector into a key driver of national development.
Artisanal and small-scale mining remains a critical but high-risk livelihood in Zimbabwe, employing hundreds of thousands of people across rural districts and mining towns.
The sector is often characterised by unsafe working conditions, with miners frequently exposed to hazards such as mine shaft collapses, poor ventilation and inadequate protective equipment, resulting in injuries and loss of life.
Unregulated operations have also been linked to rising crime in some mining communities, including gold theft, violent disputes over claims and the activities of machete-wielding gangs.
The lack of formal structures has made it difficult to enforce safety, environmental and legal standards.
Officials say the ongoing training programmes are designed to tackle these challenges by equipping miners with skills in safe mining practices, compliance and financial discipline, while promoting formalisation. By professionalising the sector, authorities expect a reduction in accidents, improved accountability and more stable, law-abiding mining communities.
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