Mining projects worth $260 million were approved in the first half of 2011, over triple the same period last year, the president of the country's chamber of mines said on Wednesday.

Zimbabwe has an abundance of minerals including the world's second largest platinum reserves but the investment climate is riddled with uncertainty as the government tries to force foreign miners to give majority stakes in their local operations to black investors in the country.

The Zimbabwe Investment Authority has indicated that projects valued at $941 million have been approved in the first six months of 2011 compared to $131 million during the same period last year, chamber president Winston Chitando's told a mining conference in Harare.

The mining industry projects accounted for $260 million in 2011 compared to $80 million in 2010, he said.

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