Lualaba: launching of infrastructure works for an artisanal mining zone in Kolwezi

Kolwezi, July 15^th, 2026 (CPA). – The infrastructure works for Artisanal Mining Zone (ZEA) No. 786  have been launched in the  mining district  of Kasulo, in the town of Kolwezi, the capital of Lualaba province (south-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo),  CPA has learnt on Wednesday from an official source.  “The infrastructure development of Artisanal Mining Zone (ZEA) No. 786 in Kasulo serves a dual purpose. On the one hand, it provides artisanal miners with better-equipped, safer working spaces that comply with regulations.  On the other hand, it aims to foster harmonious coexistence between artisanal and industrial mining in order to prevent conflicts which have in the past disrupted mining activity and undermined the investment climate,” has declared the governor of Lualaba province, Marie-Therese Fifi Masuka Saini, at the launching of the works.  And to call for: “the co-operative leaders and artisanal miners must play their part to the full by raising awareness amongst miners of the need to strictly adhere to the established rules”. For his part, Jean-Paul Kapongo Kadiobo, General Director of the Service for Assistance and Supervision of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (SAEMAPE), has welcomed the launching of the infrastructure works for this Economic Activity Zone (ZEA), whilst emphasising the ban on the presence of military personnel at mining sites in accordance with the instructions of the President of the Republic.  “Last Friday, during the Cabinet meeting, the Head of State has raised this issue, which has been my pet project since I took the helm at SAEMAPE. I was saying that the military has no place on mining sites.  We must give due credit to the governor’s willingness and commitment to the process of implementing the President’s instructions,” he has said.  Several provincial authorities, heads of various public services and stakeholders from the artisanal mining sector have taken part in that ceremony.