Earning a social licence wherever we operate
Particularly pertinent to current operations at our flagship Lindi Jumbo Graphite Mine is our belief that nobody should be left disadvantaged due to our activities.
Walkabout has worked extensively with the local communities where the Project is situated to establish shared understanding and value creation opportunities that are collaboratively explored, prioritised and implemented.
It is this active engagement and dialogue with the village leadership and communities, and government representatives, combined with our ongoing compliance to statutory legislation in country that has strongly driven the success and support for the development of the project.
Creating a Tanzanian Legacy: Lindi Jumbo Village Trust
A Village Trust has been instituted, enabling by means of deferred sale to the village, 5% ownership of the Lindi Jumbo Project. Key stakeholders from the Company, the village and government district offices are trustees of the board and will decide where money from dividends will be spent to improve the infrastructure of the village.
In addition, the Company has engaged closely with the local, regional and national stakeholder groups to be a well-known and respected corporate citizen. The Company sponsors and attends various mining and business commercial conventions and publicity seminars in Tanzania and stands proud of its Tanzanian heritage. Lindi Jumbo overcame the Mining Act Amendments of 2017 to present a project that has assimilated into the cultural landscape and adheres to local requirements. Being the first mining project to receive funding and move into the construction phase since the amendments, Lindi Jumbo exemplifies how good governance, acting with social responsibility and considering stakeholders at every level will put a project in good stead wherever they operate.
Recent Projects Completed
- Water borehole drilled and equipped with a hand pump in Matambarale village.
- Donated to the Ruangwa police reservist training.
- Donated to the Matambarale village church for construction of ablution facilities.
- Donation of construction material to the Matambarale Village for the Community Islamic Mosque.
- Sponsorship of university registration fees for outstanding students from Matambarale village.
- Donation of construction materials for the new Ruangwa High School.
- Sponsorship of football uniforms and kit for the Namungo Football Club.
- Joint contribution of a new team bus for the Namungo Football Club.
- Donation to the Ruangwa District Office for the Tanzanian Independence Day Celebration.
Mining in the UK- Engaging with Local Stakeholders
While we have set a solid precedent for social responsibility in Tanzania, we acknowledge that no two locations are the same. Walkabout Resources is committed to undertaking the highest standard of operating in the regions of the UK – notably in the southern highlands of Scotland and in Northern Ireland where all the Company’s UK landholdings are situated. Having recently received environmental approvals from landowners and farmers, communication is now more important than ever.
For this reason, Walkabout Resources have engaged a local UK consultancy, who have assigned a liaison officer who is charged with day-to-day communications with the villages in which we operate – with our Newton Stewart, St Johns of Dalry, Gatehouse of Fleet and Tyrone Licences. The role of the liaison officer incorporates an understanding of our licences and their status at an early exploration level, offering resources to the local farmers and affected landholders, as well as everyone who is general proximity of the exploration works. This is beneficial in such areas, where mining interaction has been limited for many years.