The key responsibilities of the Mines Development Department are the issuance and administration of mining rights, gemstones sales certificates, import and export permits and monitoring of the mining operations to ensure that mine development is in line with approved programmes of operations and in accordance with the Mines and Minerals Development Act. The Department is also responsible for collection, compilation and dissemination of mineral production statistics, undertaking reconnaissance surveys and demarcation of mining rights/plots.

General Administration Unit
The General Administration Unit facilitates its statutory function of providing timely financial and logistical support services to all technical operating units of the department at all times.

Mining Unit
The Unit’s mandate is to facilitate its statutory function of monitoring of all large and small-scale mining operations in all mining regions to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Mining legislation.

Mineral Economics Unit
Mineral Economics Unit is responsible for of issuance and administration of gemstones sales certificates, import and export permits, collecting and compiling of mineral production statistics which in turn is shared with other relevant Government Institutions such as Bank of Zambia, Zambia Revenue Authority, Central Statistical Office and the Ministry of Finance.

Mining Cadastre and Survey Unit
Mining Cadastre and Survey Unit performs its statutory function of issuing and administering of mining rights.