On 17 to 19 May The World Customs Organisation (WCO) held a workshop on the protection of national mineral resources in Lusaka, Zambia which was attended by officers from both customs administrations and mining control institutions from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Nigeria, South Africa [South African Revenue Service (Sars)], Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The project is a part of the WCO activities on protection of mineral resources specified in Phase III of the Revenue Package Action Plan.
During the Workshop, the participants explained the current situation with respect to the protection of their national mineral resources and described the cooperation between the Customs Administrations and the other National Institutions involved in the matter in their respective countries. The problems arising from the trade in "conflict minerals" and the effect of illegal mining in society and the environment was also discussed in detail.
The participants concluded that optimal monitoring and control mechanisms of the natural resources should be developed, which included the identification of legislative gaps, exploring the strenghening of current controls, improving cooperation and networking between customs administrations and mining institutions.
