Mining engineer Dennis Mkandawire has urged the government to abandon the continued use of raids by security officers against Artisanal and Small-scale Miners (ASM), arguing that the approach has failed to formalize the country's mining sector.
In an interview with Mining & Trade Review, Mkandawire said the government should instead prioritize registering informal miners, providing technical support, and integrating them into the formal economy to improve safety, revenue collection, and regulation.
Mkandawire likened the ongoing pursuit of unregistered miners to ‘trying to empty Lake Malawi with a bucket,’ saying the strategy consumes public resources without delivering lasting results.
"The government spends time and money chasing artisanal miners from one pit to another. They run away from the police when theycome, and two weeks later they are back to business as usual. The question is: Is this working?” he said.
Mkandawire said continued enforcement operations have imposed significant costs on the government through fuel, police deployments, and court processes, while the majority of mining activities remain outside the formal regulatory system.
He said that the current approach has also denied the government valuable information about mining activities, reduced opportunities for tax and royalty collection, and contributed to unsafe mining practices.
"Chasing miners gives us no reliable data, no tax revenue, no safety standards, and no effective way to support them. Instead, it creates hostility between miners and the state. When miners operate in hiding, unsafe pits remain unchecked and fatal accidents become more likely," he said.
He said formal registration would enable authorities to identify where miners operate, what minerals they extract, and how many people depend on artisanal mining for their livelihoods.
He added that registration would also improve government revenue through royalties and licensing fees, strengthen occupational safety through training on proper mining methods and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and ensure that minerals such as gold and gemstones are sold through legal channels, including licensed buyers and the Reserve Bank of Malawi (RBM).
To achieve this, Mkandawire recommended deploying mobile registration teams to major artisanal mining areas such as Kasungu, Karonga, Mchinji, Mzimba, and Mangochi.
He also called for simplified registration procedures, affordable licensing fees, and support for miners to establish cooperatives.
In addition, Mkandawire proposed a six-month amnesty period that would allow informal miners to register without penalties for previous unlicensed operations before strict enforcement measures are introduced.
"If the goal is to build a formal, safe, and profitable mining sector, then registration should be the first tool, not raids," he said.
Perekezi ASM Consultants MD Chikomeni Manda said although the government's intention to formalize the ASMs is commendable, the current approach has not delivered the desired results.
"Formalization cannot be achieved through force. Instead, it requires inclusive participation of ASM stakeholders through their various associations to come up with mechanisms that benefit everyone," said Manda.
He said the suspension of license issuance and the gemstone export ban have further complicated the sector, forcing many operators to rely on social licences in the absence of legally mandated ones.
"Consequently, gemstones are being smuggled out due to the export ban, resulting in significant losses for the government," he said.
Manda also argued that ‘Operation Samala Mgodi’ has disrupted the operations of many Malawian artisanal miners.
"As a result, between 50 and 70 percent of the gold being purchased by RBM now originates from Mozambique, undermining the local empowerment of Malawian gold miners. This approach only penalizes hardworking Malawians while empowering non-Malawians who gain access to a gold market that was originally intended to benefit local miners," he said.
He further warned that the absence of licences has also weakened environmental accountability in the sector.
"At the end of the day, the environmental damage is so huge because ASM operators are not held accountable in the absence of licences," said Manda.
President of the Federation of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining in Malawi (FASMIM), Percy Maleta, described Mkandawire's observations as timely, saying they deserve serious consideration.
"It is becoming increasingly evident that relying on raids and enforcement alone will not achieve the formalization of Malawi's artisanal and small-scale mining sector. Registration, technical support, access to markets, and simplified licensing are practical and sustainable solutions that can bring thousands of miners into the formal economy," he said.
However, Maleta said there is one critical element that should not be overlooked, arguing that formalization should begin by strengthening the leadership structures of the ASM sector.
"Government efforts should deliberately focus on building the capacity of FASMIM and its member associations before engaging individual miners. These organizations are best positioned to become the bridge between government and artisanal miners. They understand the realities on the ground, have established relationships with mining communities, and can effectively mobilize, educate, and monitor their members," he said.
According to Maleta, a strong federation and vibrant associations would become the government's eyes and ears in mining communities by facilitating registration, promoting compliance with mining laws, disseminating safety information, encouraging environmental stewardship, and ensuring minerals are traded through legitimate channels.
"This approach is far more sustainable than expecting government institutions to directly reach every individual miner across the country," he said.
Maleta observed that many ASM associations currently exist largely on paper and have limited operational capacity because they have received little institutional support.
"This is not because they lack commitment, but because they have received little institutional support to carry out the important role they were created to play. Strengthening these organizations through training, resources, and structured partnerships would significantly accelerate the formalization agenda," he said.
"Empowering these institutions will create a coordinated system where government provides policy direction and oversight, while the federation and associations drive grassroots implementation. Formalization will not succeed by registering miners alone; it will succeed by building strong institutions that can organize, represent, educate, and support those miners for generations to come," he said.
Malawi has in recent years intensified efforts to reform and formalize its mining industry as part of the Malawi 2063 development agenda, which identifies mining as one of the country's priority sectors for economic transformation.
