National 

Uganda begins scrutinizing Mining and Minerals Bill 2021

Uganda is mooting for the new law to streamline mining sector. Minister of State for Minerals, Peter Lokeris, led a team from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development to introduce the long awaited Bill to the Committee for scrutiny. While presenting, Lokeris said the Mining and Minerals Bill, 2021 would repeal the Mining Act, 2003 which has become ‘inadequate’ and ‘obsolete’ in protecting and streamlining the mining sector in the country. The Bill intends to cure the gaps unattended to by the current law [the Mining Act, 2003] by…

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GROUNDBREAKING 

Major Red Lake gold mine acquired

Major Red Lake gold mine has been sold to Kinross Gold Corporation who are currently performing gold explorations in the Red Lake area. The mining conglomerate entered into a definitive agreement with Vancouver-based Great Bear Resources with KGC acquiring all of the issued and outstanding shares of GBR. The terms of the agreement involves an upfront payment of $1.8 million by Kinross, representing $29.00 CAD per Great Bear common share. Visions With the purchase, Kinross will acquire Great Bear’s crowned jewel Dixie project located just south of Red Lake, which is being widely recognized…

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National 

‘Pass the potato’ and help to feed the hungry this December

A donation of more than 2t of potatoes to feed the hungry this festive season is typical of farmers and the agricultural value chain’s commitment to local communities and the less fortunate. This was according to Jaco Minaar, Agri SA president, following an announcement of the donation by Potatoes South Africa (PSA). He praised the association for its initiative to launch the ‘Pass the Potato’ campaign, aimed at encouraging South Africans to donate potatoes to those in need, and challenging friends and family members to do the same using #PassThePotato…

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GROUNDBREAKING 

Potato farmers set to benefit from mobile data sharing app

The potato industry is investing in various technologies to improve its sustainability, and is currently in the process of developing a mobile app to improve communication with members. The app would not only help with the problems experienced with compliance with the Protection of Personal Information Act while using WhatsApp as a communication tool, but also allow users to more readily access information. This was according to Willie Jacobs, CEO of Potatoes SA (PSA), speaking during a recent information session held in the Sandveld, Western Cape. “The idea is to…

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National 

Five African countries shine a light on renewables as they deliver powerful investment pitches at the Africa Energy Marketplace

Five African countries presented their investment cases at the recent Africa Energy Marketplace, which brought together governments, the private sector and development partners, to highlight strategic projects and key energy sector reforms. The countries’ pitches also emphasized the scale of renewable resources among their key priorities. The theme of the fifth African Energy Marketplace, held virtually between 26 and 29 October, was Identifying opportunities across the energy value chain: Resolving bottlenecks and unlocking investments in Cameroon, Guinea, Kenya, Mozambique, and Tunisia. Cameroon announced that it had launched an agency to manage the public electricity transmission system,…

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National 

Centamin Plc releases a review of its Sukari mine in Egypt

Centamin Plc has released a review of Sukari mine in Egypt, indicating the largest reserve growth in a decade. The firm said the increased reserve in excess of one million ounces at Sukari, its sole gold mine, underpins its plans to produce 500,000 ounces per annum of gold over the next 10 years. The company produced 452,320 ounces of gold in 2020. The review of the mine, which experienced production challenges in October last year after a problem with stability in one of the open pit walls, also aimed at improving…

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National 

ndian Samta group to invest US $100M in Morocco’s mining industry

Indian Samta energy group is set to invest over US $100million in the development of mining and mineral processing activities in Morocco. The company revealed the plans and said they eye the country as it has become a leading investment destination thanks to the optimal business atmosphere and clear and fast administrative procedures. “We aim to be a partner of Morocco for the improvement of the overall economic well-being by emphasizing sustainability and transparency. The investment will be implemented over the coming five years,” said the group. Diversifying in Morocco The…

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GROUNDBREAKING 

Lycopodium Minerals to deliver front-end engineering design for Zgounder silver plant

Lycopodium Minerals Canada have been chosen by Aya Gold and Silver to deliver the front-end engineering design (FEED) for the new mineral processing plant at the Zgounder silver mine in Morocco. The plant is part of the mine expansion project that will take the milling rate to 2,700 t/d from 700 t/d. The mining project is a joint venture of Aya (85%) and the government of Morocco (15%). The feasibility study for the expansion will be published in the first quarter 2022. Expect a new resource estimate for the project, located about 150…

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GROUNDBREAKING 

Phase 2 concentrator plant at Kamoa-Kakula project nears completion

The Phase 2 concentrator plant at Kamoa-Kakula project in the Democratic Republic of Congo is nearing completion. Ivanhoe co-chairpersons Robert Friedland and Yufeng confirmed the reports and said the 3.8-million-tonne-a-year plant is 70% complete and on track to start operations in the second quarter of 2022. The two also affirmed that the 3.8-million-tonne-a-year Phase 1 concentrator plant is operating at steady-state design capacity and that, as a result, Ivanhoe’s 2021 production guidance for contained copper in concentrate produced from Kamoa-Kakula’s Phase 1 concentrator is between 92 500 t and 100 000 t.…

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International 

NAU applauds Ministry’s decision to rescind Stampriet Basin permits

The Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU) has applauded the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform’s decision to revoke two permits for the drilling of 37 boreholes in the Stampriet Basin for exploration and hydrogeological purposes. According to an official letter from the ministry, the withdrawal was due to Headspring Investments, a Russian company that was looking into uranium mining in the basin, not complying with permit conditions. According to NAU president Piet Gouws, uranium mining in the basin, as proposed by Headspring Investments, would have an impact not only on…

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