Mining sector in Zambia needs partnering and better management of conflicts

On 9 December, Mr. Michael Munkumba from Tanzania successfully defended his Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) thesis at MSM.

In his research “Escaping the resource curse through partnerships – the case of Zambia”, Mr. Munkumba set out to investigate ways in which Zambia can use its mineral resources as a trigger for development and a source of mutual benefit for all stakeholders in the mining value chain. The main research question was: How and can partnering in the mining sector assist Zambia to escape the resource curse through better management of conflicts? In particular the research aimed to ascertain whether partnering in the sector would be useful and how stakeholders felt about partnering to address sources of conflict. The study was motivated by the desire to find a bridge to reconcile two situations, namely the perceived low benefit accruing from the mining sector on one hand and the negative effect of mining activities on communities around the mines and the country’s infrastructure. This gap tends to drive conflict in mineral-rich countries. To achieve the purpose of his study, Mr. Munkumba began by assessing the existing relations, attitudes and perceptions in the sector. He then scaled up the analysis in order to come up with strategies to improve these relations, disabuse stakeholders of misperceptions, and minimize conflict. The study involved several levels of consultations with different stakeholders, namely mining companies, the government, NGOs, trade unions, local community leaders, small scale miners and local suppliers to the mines.

“Studying the most important sector in my country has made an indelible mark on me,” says Mr. Munkumba. “The DBA has been an incredible life experience. It has given me intense research and critical thinking skills. My ability to see the big picture and analyze issues has been boosted immeasurably. It has been rewarding to see my government implement some of the recommendations already. I would recommend the MSM DBA to anyone wishing to both add value to their country while attaining the highest academic level in a global institution.”