MUMBWA GOLD TRADING CENTRE COMPLETED
— Mary Ene
Zambia's government has completed construction of the Mumbwa Gold Trading Centre, a purpose-built facility designed to formalise artisanal and small-scale gold trading in Central Province. The facility is nearly fully operational, with its connection to the national electricity grid now confirmed.…
Zambia has taken a concrete step toward bringing order to one of its most unruly economic sectors completing construction of the Mumbwa Gold Trading Centre, a facility designed to turn informal gold trading into a regulated, taxable and transparent industry.
The Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development confirmed that the Mumbwa facility has been completed and connected to the national electricity grid, ensuring a stable and reliable power supply for all operational requirements. The confirmation was made by Ministry Principal Public Relations Officer Shamwinda Tembo, signalling that the long-anticipated centre is approaching full operational readiness.
The centre is designed to serve as a one-stop hub for artisanal and small-scale gold miners in the Mumbwa area of Central Province. Once fully operational, it will bring together key stakeholders under one roof, including the Zambia Revenue Authority, the Zambia Gold Company, and the Bank of Zambia, alongside licensed aggregators. The aim is to create a structured environment where miners can sell their gold at fair and competitive prices while the government tracks production volumes and collects appropriate taxes two things that have historically been near-impossible in an informal trading ecosystem.
The facility complements a second gold trading centre under development in Rufunsa District, also targeting the formalisation of artisanal gold trading. Together, the two centres reflect the Zambian government's commitment to reforming the gold sub-sector, which has long been characterised by smuggling, underdeclared production and significant revenue leakage. Officials have noted that the programme is not a one-off intervention but part of a long-term strategy to formalise the entire artisanal mining value chain, including training in safe, legal and efficient mining practices.
The environmental dimension of the project has also been addressed. The Zambia Environmental Management Agency approved a separate government-owned gold processing hub in Mumbwa District in March 2026, granting clearance during its third Environmental Assessment Committee meeting on March 26.
The processing hub, which will have the capacity to process up to 15 tonnes of gold per year, was approved on the grounds that consolidating processing at a single centralised facility would significantly reduce the environmental impact compared to multiple smaller processing plants operating independently across the area.
The Mumbwa Gold Trading Centre is a tangible output of a policy drive that began with Zambia's 2025 budget, which outlined plans to formalise gold trading by the end of that fiscal year. The government appointed Zamgold Limited as the official gold aggregator, tasked with purchasing gold from newly formalised markets.
The completion of the Mumbwa facility marks the first physical infrastructure delivery on that pledge a signal to the artisanal mining community and to international investors alike that Zambia is serious about bringing this sector into the formal economy.