Zimbabwe has launched the planetGOLD Zimbabwe Project, targeting reduced mercury use in the country’s artisanal and small-scale gold mining sector. The initiative is currently in its mapping and assessment phase. Its stated aims include improving environmental protection, public health, and mining sustainability while supporting thousands of miners across Zimbabwe.
The programme forms part of a wider global effort operating in 23 countries. IMPACT, the project implementer, says artisanal and small-scale gold mining remains the largest source of mercury pollution worldwide. The initiative is supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and implemented by IMPACT with Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and the Environmental Management Agency (EMA).
Scale, targets and support footprint
The project is designed as a five-year programme supporting about 7,500 men and women in artisanal gold mining across 11 districts. A central target is to reduce mercury consumption by 4.85 tonnes. The plan combines formalization measures, financial inclusion, technological innovation, and knowledge-sharing.
The project also seeks to strengthen access to traceable gold supply chains and financing opportunities. Project leaders say this approach is intended to accelerate adoption of mercury-free gold processing technologies. It also aims to integrate miners into Zimbabwe’s formal economy.
Artisanal gold’s role in exports and deliveries
Artisanal and small-scale gold mining is described as a cornerstone of Zimbabwe’s economy and a key income source for rural communities with limited alternative employment. More than 300,000 people are estimated to work directly in the sector. This makes it one of the country’s largest sources of employment.
The sector contributes more than 40% of Zimbabwe’s mineral exports. It accounts for over 60% of gold deliveries to Fidelity Gold Refinery (FGR), described as Zimbabwe’s sole official gold buyer, refiner and exporter. The sector also faces challenges including informal operations, regulatory compliance issues, environmental impacts, and illicit gold trading.
Mercury emissions and exposure risks
The initiative focuses on mercury use in gold processing. Project data cited in the programme materials indicate that around 96% of Zimbabwe’s artisanal gold production relies on mercury-based extraction methods. This is associated with more than 24 tonnes of mercury emissions annually.
Mercury contamination affects soil, water, air and mining equipment, with impacts extending beyond mining sites. Health experts cited by the project state that mercury exposure can cause severe neurological and developmental problems, particularly for children and pregnant women. Miners and processing workers face elevated risks when mercury is vaporized during extraction activities.
The materials also note that mercury released into the atmosphere can travel long distances before contaminating rivers, lakes, fish populations, wildlife habitats and agricultural land. The project highlights these pathways as part of its stated environmental and health concerns.
Women’s involvement in processing activities
The project highlights disproportionate exposure risks for women working in artisanal mining. Women are heavily involved in gold washing and processing activities, stages where mercury exposure levels are often highest. The programme says this results in increased health risks compared with many other workers across the value chain.
The initiative states that reducing mercury use is expected to deliver health benefits for miners and surrounding communities. This linkage is presented within the project’s focus on exposure reduction.
Four-pillar implementation approach
Nyaradzo Mutonhori, planetGOLD Zimbabwe Project Manager, says the initiative will follow a strategy built around four pillars for a safer and more sustainable artisanal mining sector. The first pillar targets formalization so miners can become integrated into Zimbabwe’s formal economy. It includes pilot programmes intended to demonstrate formalization models and improve regulatory compliance.
The second pillar addresses access to finance as a barrier to investment in modern equipment and safer technologies. The project plans to work with banks, microfinance institutions and financial service providers to expand funding opportunities for artisanal miners. Project leaders say improved financing would position miners to invest in mercury-free processing technologies and more efficient mining practices.
A third pillar centres on technology deployment through demonstration sites and processing facilities. The project plans to establish 11 demonstration sites across participating districts to showcase mercury-free processing methods and train miners. It also plans eight mercury-free processing centers to provide practical access to safer technologies across mining communities.
The fourth pillar focuses on education, communication and knowledge transfer. The project will develop training materials, technical guidance documents and best-practice resources covering formalization, mercury-free technologies, environmental management and financial inclusion. Lessons learned during implementation are intended to be shared with stakeholders across Zimbabwe and internationally.
Training programmes and awareness campaigns
An additional component involves awareness campaigns targeting miners and mining communities. Participants are expected to receive training on dangers associated with mercury use alongside practical alternatives aimed at improving environmental outcomes and gold recovery efficiency.
The project also includes advanced training for national artisanal mining specialists. This training is intended to support implementation and scaling of mercury-free technologies as well as responsible mining practices across Zimbabwe.
Field assessments at identified mercury hotspots
Project teams have begun field visits to areas identified as mercury-use hotspots. One site visited is Waterwitch Mine in Bubi District in Matabeleland North Province. The mine is described as a major processing center where up to 1,000 artisanal miners from surrounding communities supply ore and process gold using mercury.
Additional visits were conducted at Gzone Milling and Mining in Chegutu District. Teams also visited Trafalgar X4 Mine in the Battlefields area near Kadoma, which was identified as a location where mercury use remains widespread.
The assessments are described as inputs for guiding future interventions. They are also intended to determine where mercury-free technologies can have the greatest impact within the identified hotspot locations.
Zimbabwe’s Minamata Convention commitments
Zimbabwe signed the Minamata Convention on Mercury in 2013. It became a party to the agreement in August 2021. The convention seeks to reduce and ultimately eliminate mercury use across industries including gold mining.
The country’s National Action Plan released in 2019 outlines commitments to improve mining practices, reduce mercury emissions, strengthen cooperation among stakeholders, and enhance community health and safety. The planetGOLD Zimbabwe Project is presented as one of the significant steps toward those objectives.
Status update: mapping phase under planetGOLD framework
The initiative is currently described as being in its mapping and assessment phase while it prepares interventions across participating districts. It operates under support from GEF through UNEP leadership with IMPACT implementing alongside Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Mines and Mining Development and EMA.
The project’s operational focus includes reducing mercury consumption by 4.85 tonnes through formalization efforts, finance expansion, demonstration activities for mercury-free processing methods, knowledge transfer programmes, awareness campaigns, field assessments at hotspots, training for specialists, and development of processing centers intended for adoption across mining communities.
