Mining & Trade News

The Ministry of Mining says the Malawi Mining Cadastral Portal, introduced in 2016 to improve transparency in the licensing of mineral rights, has achieved its purpose of opening up data to the general public.

Acting Director of Mines in the Ministry of Mining Mphatso Chikoti said the cadastral portal has transformed access to mining information that was previously hidden from the public.

“People did not know which areas were free or not when applying for licenses. The portal now provides expiry dates of licenses, ownership details, and the minerals found in each area. These were not available before, but today anyone can view these,” he said.

He explained that the system is updated in real time as officers are always entering new applications or modifying license details.

Chikoti also said the Ministry is aworking on upgrades that will allow applicants to apply for mining licenses online.

However, he admitted that frequent legal reforms have delayed progress as the portal was initially configured under the Mines and Minerals Act of 1981 but later had to be adjusted to align with the 2019 Act, and again with the 2023 Act.

“These changes affected the updating of the portal but it is now underway,” Chikoti said.

Commenting in a separate interview, National coordinator for Natural Resources Justice Network (NRJN) Kennedy Rashid agreed that the computerized system has improved transparency compared to the previous paper-based system but he expressed concern that the cadestre remains inconsistent hence has not fully met expectations.

“The portal has made licensing data more accessible and reduced secrecy in allocation. But irregular updates, incomplete data, and lack of proactive communication mean it has not fully delivered on accountability,” he said.

Rashid added that public awareness of the portal is very low, particularly at community level.

“There has been little systematic effort by government to train communities or watchdog groups on how to use the platform. Awareness is largely driven by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and international partners. Most affected communities do not know it exists, let alone how to interpret its data,” he said.

Rashid said the portal also faces technical challenges, which include inconsistent updating of information, limited detail on contracts and beneficial ownership and difficulties for ordinary users due to its technical design and poor internet connectivity to rural communities.

He said with these problems, the portal is not yet fully aligned with the provisions of the new mining law, (Mines and Minerals Act of 2023) which emphasizes on transparency in licensing, disclosure of mining contracts, and community participation.

The cadastral portal consists of license maps and status updates. Rashid argued that without integration of contract disclosure and reporting features, the system falls short of the law’s requirements.

He called for various reforms to make the cadastre more effective including regular and comprehensive updates to include mining contracts, environmental management plans and financial payments and also simplifying the user interface and linking the portal with other transparency programmes such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

“Government should organize training sessions for local governments, community representatives, and civil society organizations to build capacity in using and interpreting data. Without this, ordinary citizens cannot use the portal for accountability,” Rashid said.

For Malawi, the mining cadastral portal represents more than technology. It is a test of how far the country is willing to go in making resources management both efficient and accessible.

Leave a Comment

Comments