Zimbabwean gold mining faces more elite manipulation

Significance

However, sectoral mismanagement and elite-level corruption has meant that this resource is allegedly enriching a handful of politically connected individuals, while impoverishing many and destabilising swathes of the country. The government has recently begun dismantling the sole trader of gold in the country, Fidelity Printers and Refiners (FPR), seemingly offering a boost to the local gold market.

Impacts

• Most gold will continue to be smuggled out of the country, depriving citizens and the state of crucial revenues.
• Zimbabwe will not reach the 40-tonne-per-year production target set by the government by 2023.
• Gold militias controlled by political elites will be an increasingly important source of political clout in moments of crisis.