The Export Development Fund (EDF) has reaffirmed its commitment to promote responsible mining and environmental management especially in areas where gold mining activities are taking place across the country. The commitment was made in Dwangwa, Nkhotakota during a tree planting exercise organised by the Fund.
Chief Finance Officer for EDF Moffat Musukwa said EDF recognizes the environmental challenges posed by the gold mining activities hence the emphasis on the importance of sustainable practices that preserve nature.
‘As EDF we are aware that the process of mining the gold that we are buying from these artisanal and small-scale miners is destroying the environment and that is why we are here doing this tree planting exercise as part of our efforts to restore the environment that has been damaged because of these activities. We are also encouraging the communities in these gold hotspot areas to practice responsible mining and take good care of the environment so that we mitigate the impact of global climate change like the recent flooding here in Dwangwa,’ said Musukwa.
EDF is buying gold and other precious stones from artisanal and small-scale miners across the country and Nkhotakota is one of the districts that has supplied large volumes of gold since the gold buying initiative started in 2021.
The Gold Buying initiative was introduced as one way of providing a structured market and prevent illicit externalization of gold and most importantly generate the much-needed foreign exchange for the country’s economy.
Meanwhile, EDF is working with the Wildlife and environmental Society of Malawi (WESM) to encourage the communities to take good care of the planted trees so that they survive. About 4000 trees were planted in Bowa village as part of the exercise.