The government will over the next few years focus on ensuring its mineral wealth benefits the communities under a mineral royalty sharing scheme that will see ten percent of total revenue from mining going to communities where the minerals are extracted. By signing of community development agreements, mining firms will be required to play a role in social development and thus improving lives of Kenyans.
The Ministry of Mining has presented a proposal to the National Treasury for the establishment of the Mineral Royalty Fund to channel royalty payment using a revenue sharing formula that will see 70% of revenue go to the national government, 20% to the County government and 10% to the local communities.
Speaking at the Kenya Mining Forum last week, Mining Cabinet Secretary Dan Kazungu said; “Parliament has approved the community development regulation to ensure mining firms sign community development agreements in order for these communities to benefit from mineral wealth.”
Nigeria’s Mining Minister Dr. Fayemi Kayode also noted, “Nigeria had learned from its experience in the oil and gas sector where the community was largely left out. With Mining we do not approve licenses if the company has not signed community agreements.”
With the Mineral Rights Board in place, the Ministry of Mining has now began the process of issuing mining licenses to investors and is working on having the nationwide airborne geophysical survey launched in March of 2018 following joint support from the national treasury and office of state law who have concluded engagement with China’s Exim bank and chinese contractor GETI. Mining Cabinet Secretary said the project will increase provision of geo data to investors thereby increasing revenue generation for the country through further exploration and minining of minerals.
Nigeria having been in the Mining Sector longer than Kenya Dr. Fayemi Kayode, Nigeria’s Minister of Mining and Steel Development extoled the need to support local mining investors as this would lead to increased job creation and improved livelihoods for all. He said, “Nigeria used to be a net importer of cement for a longtime. As of 2016, Nigeria is self sufficient. This has been done by setting up local processing plants”
Going forward the Ministry of Mining plans to zero rate mineral imports at points of entry especially for precious metals and gemstones and establish mineral processing in special economic zones for value addition while encouraging the set up of mineral trading companies to ttake advantage of the abundant, predictable supply of minerals. Kenya Will host the next Mining Forum in November of 2018