By Francis Chipalo
The Emerald and Semi-precious Miners Association of Zambia (ESMAZ) has accused the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) of frustrating the growth of the small-scale gemstone sector through high fees and rigid regulations.
ESMAZ President Victor Kalesha said small-scale miners are failing to process their licences due to hurdles linked to the Environmental Project Brief (EPB) and fees under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations, Statutory Instrument No. 3 of 2026.
Kalesha said ZEMA’s slow response to the concerns of small-scale miners is retrogressive and is holding back the sector.
“Our own assessment shows that a full Environmental Impact Assessment costs a minimum of K236,666.40, of which K106,666.40 is the ZEMA fee alone. The ZEMA fee for an EPB is K5,333.20,” Kalesha said.
He explained that gemstone mining has been placed under Class III with a flat fee, regardless of the size of the operation, a situation he said is beyond the reach of ordinary Zambian miners.
Kalesha said while ESMAZ welcomed the recent dissolution of the ZEMA board by the Minister, the move alone is not enough to bring efficiency.
“We believe the agency also needs to change its senior management so that new leadership can deliver real reform,” he said.
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The association cited other regulators as examples of institutions that listen to small-scale miners.
Kalesha praised the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) for engaging artisanal and small-scale miners through sensitisation, and the Minerals Regulation Commission (MRC) for starting to resolve problems of small-scale miners after initial challenges.
He also hailed the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development for creating the Small-Scale Mining Desk, which he described as a milestone in support of the Grow Zambia Agenda.
“The Director General at ZEMA should learn from his counterparts. The way forward is to engage and resolve issues with small-scale miners, not to hide behind the ZEMA regulations,” Kalesha said.
ESMAZ has since appealed to the new Minister of Energy and Environment to review the EIA Regulations as they apply to small-scale gemstone mining, and to ZEMA to reduce fees and make the EPB the standard route for small-scale operations with simple, clear guidelines.
“We call on ZEMA to pull up its socks and save the small-scale gemstone sector from collapse,” Kalesha said.
The association has also called on President Hakainde Hichilema to take keen interest in the matter, saying it affects jobs, livelihoods and national revenue.
Kalesha disclosed that the Federation of Small-Scale Mining Associations of Zambia has written to the Minister of Energy and Environment on the same issue, but it does not appear to be receiving urgent attention.
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