The Department of Mines has registered a decline in revenues from the mining sector. This has been noted in the past 2 years, while in the same time frame, the sector has registered growing potential for profits.

Treasury figures show that between July 2017 to April 2018, the sector generated K500 million from royalties, license processing and ground fees, just as the same period the previous year. On the other hand, the sector has been suffering from the overwhelming presence of illegal miners. In April, Police arrested 15 foreign nationals at Makanjira in Mangochi for mining without a license. The suspects were mining in Namizimu Forest, where locals had reported them to the Police, also accusing them of assaulting the locals. The suspects, were traced to be from Mozambique, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Following the increasing reports of illegal mining, the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining has been called out to act on the crimes, as the Natural Resources and Climate Change Committee of Parliament has warned the ministry of unspecified action if it fails to police illegal mining and trade of gemstones and other minerals.