SINGIDA, April 22 -- Artisanal and small-scale miners (ASMs) in Singida Region have called for the deployment of environmental specialists within mineral offices, arguing that such a move would significantly reduce the cost of preparing mandatory Environmental Assessment Plans and improve access to essential services.

Their concern centres on the high fees charged for preparing these plans, which they say vary widely but rarely fall below 2m/-. While miners acknowledge the importance of environmental compliance, they argue that the current system places an excessive financial burden on operators who already work with limited capital.

The issue was raised during a recent workshop titled “Building Skills for Safe Profitable Mining,&...