Tambatamba tells holders of idle mining licences to find partners or hand the rights back

Mines and Minerals Development Minister Brenda Tambatamba has warned holders of dormant mining licences that government will no longer put up with rights that are held but not used. She told them to find investment partners or hand the licences back, so that investors who are able to develop the minerals can take over. Ms Tambatamba spoke on Monday on her ministry's podcast. She said licence holders must make their investments produce returns, both for themselves and their families and for the national treasury, and that sitting on mineral rights without doing any productive work does not help the country. Holders who do not have the money or the technical skills, she said, should bring in partners or give the rights up, telling them to "hand it over back" because the Government has a responsibility to let capable investors come on board. The minister said government will concentrate on making sure that the people who can actually develop Zambia's mineral resources are the ones holding the rights. She urged investors not to waste the opportunities now open to them by holding licences without meaningful investment, and said opening up dormant mining areas would attract investment, create jobs and lift economic activity in mining communities. She did not say how many licences are dormant, name any holders, or set a date by which they must act. ## Background The warning fits a clean-up the ministry has been running for some time. In February, Permanent Secretary Dr Hapenga Kabeta said about 3,000 mining licences had been cancelled since 2024 because the holders did not meet their obligations under the Mines and Minerals Development Act, and that about 1,200 of those holders had appealed. He said the aim was to leave only operational and productive mines on the national register, and the Cadaster Department has begun cleaning up the register itself. This is not the first time government has gone after idle licences. In 2017 it began revoking more than 600 licences he