Barrick’s Lumwana Mining Company (LMC) has disbursed over K4.2 million to Lumwana Community Trust (LCT) as initial funding to undertake social projects in Kalumbila District this year.

Lumwana Community Trust (LCT) came into existence from an agreement reached between Barrick Lumwana Mining Company and three chiefdoms – Mukumbi, Mumena and Matebo, right at the commencement of the multi-million-dollar mining investment over 10 years ago.

The three chiefdoms are now represented by their traditional leaders; Senior Chief Mukumbi, Chief Mumena and Chief Matebo on the LCT Board.

LMC sustainability manager Christopher Mukala disclosed in an interview that each of the three chiefdoms had also appointed two persons to sit on the Board of the Trust as Trustees.

“The Trust comes from an agreement we had with the three royal highnesses as Lumwana Mining Company when we were getting land for the mining surface rights. We agreed then that we will get land for mining surface rights, but as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), we will share the benefits with you through a trust fund for community projects. So, what we have agreed, again, is that every year, we will be providing funding to the Trust for community projects; mostly infrastructure,” Mukala explained.

“As we speak now, we are sitting with the Trust to unveil the different types of projects that we are going to undertake this year. The mine started running this Trust from 2007, but in 2013 transferred it totally to the chiefs, who now have their own employees to run its affairs.”

He further said that despite the formalization and handing over of the LCT to their royal highnesses, the mining company would still maintain its own various community programmes under its robust CSR programme.

“We will still continue running programmes of opportunity livelihoods, local procurement, local employment, small and medium entrepreneurship development and many others,” said Mukala.

Communities in the three chiefdoms will be allowed to submit projects to the LCT for further review by the Board before being funded, as long as they were in line with what had been agreed upon within the Trust deed.

The total amount of funds disbursed for 2019 amount to K4,236,000.

The other critical aspect to the functionality of the LCT is that the chiefdoms have agreed on funding thresholds per chiefdom.

It is also agreed that the funding of the LCT will be based on the annual performance of Barrick Lumwana in terms of production and profits assessed using the company’s established formula and agreed with their royal highnesses in the Trust deed.

The Lumwana Community Trust Board currently has an acting coordinator, Juliet Mwendafilumba, running its affairs.

– Story courtesy of SUMA SYSTEMS.