Zambia to begin issuing uranium mining licenses
23 April 2008
[Dow Jones, 21 April, Reuters, 22 April] Zambia will begin to issue uranium mining licenses to foreign companies in June, according to mines and minerals development minister Kalombo Mwansa. The move follows the endorsement by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of regulations drawn up by the country. Besides uranium mining, the regulations cover the transportation and storage of uranium and other radioactive minerals. Mwansa told the Post of Zambia newspaper, "We are now just finalizing them making them part of the law. That should be done by end of June." He added that the production and export of uranium would likely start in 2009. "The [mining] of uranium is welcome because it will help in our program of diversification from the traditional copper and cobalt mining." Several foreign mining companies have reported discovering uranium deposits in Zambia, but have yet been allowed to exploit them.