Fidelity Gold Refinery is rolling out a new network of gold service centres in a bid to formalise Zimbabwe’s vast artisanal and small-scale mining sector, beginning with a flagship facility under development in Mberengwa.
The initiative, announced at MINEX 2026 in Zvishavane, marks a strategic shift from traditional gold-buying depots toward integrated processing hubs designed to capture more value within the country’s gold supply chain. The centres will function as one-stop facilities, offering on-site gold buying, milling, assaying and elution services—effectively consolidating the fragmented processes that small-scale miners typically access across multiple locations.
Speaking at the conference, ASM Manager Francis Maidza said the model is intended to bring services closer to miners while tightening oversight of gold flows. The approach builds on Fidelity’s broader decentralisation strategy, which has already seen the expansion of gold-buying centres across mining regions to reduce transport risks and improve access for producers.
Zimbabwe’s artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector—responsible for nearly 60% of national gold deliveries—has long operated on the margins of the formal economy, often constrained by limited access to processing infrastructure, financing, and legal mining rights.
The new service centres are designed to address these structural gaps. Under the programme, the Ministry of Mines has allocated mining claims near the Mberengwa site, which will be opened to local miners through structured arrangements. Fidelity plans to support participating miners with equipment and processing services, creating what officials describe as a controlled and traceable production environment.
By integrating extraction, processing and marketing into a single ecosystem, authorities hope to curb gold leakages, reduce smuggling and increase official deliveries to Fidelity, the country’s sole authorised gold buyer and exporter.
The initiative also reflects growing pressure on Zimbabwe to meet international gold traceability standards, as global markets increasingly demand proof that gold is sourced responsibly and free from illicit supply chains.
If successful, the Mberengwa pilot could serve as a template for a broader national rollout, with plans already in motion to establish similar centres in other gold-producing districts—potentially reshaping the structure of Zimbabwe’s gold industry and drawing thousands of informal miners into the formal economy.
