Karonga, January 6, Mana: Lotus Africa Limited (LAL) has signed a Community Development Agreement (CDA) with local communities within a 20-kilometer radius of the Kayelekera Mine in Karonga, where the company will be conducting uranium mining operations.

The communities which include those from Karonga and Chitipa have signed the agreement Monday at a ceremony held at Karonga Museum Amphitheater with Paramount Chief Kyungu of Karonga and Chitipa in attendance.

Speaking Monday at the ceremony, General Manager for LAL Theo Keyter said it is their mission to ensure that communities which surround Kayelekera Mine are better off.

"Lotus Africa Limited will be allocating 0.45% of its annual gross sales revenue to theCommunity Development Agreement (CDA) steering committee, which will oversee the funding and implementation of community-identified projects through Area and Village Development Committees," said Keyter.

On his part, Paramount Chief Kyungu said signing CDA's is a crucial step in making sure that communities where mining activities are taking place are benefiting.

"It is my hope that Lotus Aftica Limited will honor what has been stipulated in the agreement so that community members should reap the benefits of what is being taken from their soil. For along time, mining activities have been taking place in Karonga yet
the people have little to show that they benefitted hopefully, this is a step in the right direction,"said Kyungu.

Regional Mining Engineer from the Ministry of Mining Joseph Chirwa said the siging of the CDA will guarantee that local communities receive direct benefits from mining activities near them.

"For example communities will benefit in terms of infrastructure development, job creation and social services. On top of that, the CDA will encourage active participation in decision making processes related to mining ensuring that their concerns are addressed,"said Chirwa.

Kayelekera Uranium mine was closed in 2014 and LAL has said they will resume production this year.