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8 Of The Biggest Mining Projects In Sub-Saharan Africa

8 Of The Biggest Mining Projects In Sub-Saharan Africa

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Africa is rich in minerals. It has a third of the mineral reserves in the world and two-thirds of the global deposits of diamond. Trade in gold, oil, diamonds, copper and other minerals is a key pillar of many African economies.

Leading mining and exploration companies in the world have undertaken big projects across the continent.  Some of these projects drive the economies of the nations they are located in and have had infrastructure projects and even cities developed around them.

Here are some of the biggest mining projects in Africa;

Sources: The Globe And Mail, Mining-technology.com, MINING.com, Telegraph, The Economist, CNN

Image: mongabay.com
Image: mongabay.com

Simandou Project – Guinea

It is an iron ore mining site located in Simandou, a mountainous region in Southern Guinea The ore holds about 2.25 billion tonnes of iron. The project is proposed to cost US$20 billion. Infrastructure is poorly developed in this part of the country and the construction of a port and a 650 kilometer railway are part of the project.

Exploration rights for the mine were granted to Rio Tinto Group, one of the biggest mining groups in the world, in 1997.  It has however been held back by corruption, battles between Rio Tinto Group and Beny Steinmetz Group Resources of Israel,  several court cases and political disputes in successive regimes.

Commercial production of the ore is set to start in 2019. It will have the potential of doubling the country’s Gross Domestic Product. This will be the biggest iron ore mine in the world.

Image: northernminer.com
Image: northernminer.com

Kamoa Copper Project – DR Congo

It is found in Katanga, Democratic Republic of Congo. Kamoa Copper mines contain 43.5 million tonnes of copper. It is considered the biggest copper mining project in Africa and the biggest underdeveloped copper discovery in the world. The cost of the project is US$1.2 billion. It started in July 2014 and commercial production is set to start in 2017. The project will be operational for 30 years.

The DR Congo government granted mining license to Ivanhoe Mines of in August 2012. It holds 95 percent of the exploration rights.  In May 2015, Zijin Mining Group Co. Ltd of China bought 49.5 percent stake in Kamoa Holding, at US$ 412 million. This is Ivanhoe Mine’s unit that has majority rights in the copper project.

Image: miningreview.com
Image: miningreview.com

Tenke Fungurume Project – DR congo

It is found in South-eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo. This is one of the world’s largest copper-cobalt reserves. The project started in 2006 and has two phases. The first one cost US$ 1.8 billion. It involves construction of three open pit copper-cobalt mines and construction and operation of an ore-processing plant with a production capability of 115, 000 tonnes of copper cathode and 8, 000 tonnes of cobalt metal annually.

Lundin Mining Corporation, a Canadian metals mining company holds a 24 percent stake in the project. Other partners in the project are the Democratic Republic of Congo government and Freeport-McMoran Copper and Gold of United States of America.

Image: postzambia.com
Image: postzambia.com

Lumwana Mine – Zambia

It is a copper mine, located in Zambia’s North Western Province. It is one of the largest copper mines in Africa. It has two main deposits; Chimiwungo and Malundwe. The project cost over ZAR 4.3 billion. The mine has over 3.3 billion pounds of copper and has an operational lifespan of 37 years.

It started copper production in December 2008. Equinox Minerals, a Canadian mining and exploration company was granted mining licence by the government of Zambia in January 2004. The licence is valid for 25 years.  In July 2011, the company was acquired by Barrick Gold Corporation of Canada for US$7.3 billion.

Image: mining-technology.com
Image: mining-technology.com

Catoca Diamond Mine – Angola

It is found in Lunda Sul Province, Angola. Catoca mine is the fifth biggest diamond mining project in the world. It contributes six percent of diamond production in the world annually. In 2012, it produced 6.7 million cataracts of diamond. It started commercial exploration in 1993. The mine is operated by Sociedade Mineira de Catoca which is owned by Angola’s diamond company, Endiama, AOA  Alrosa of Russia, Sonangol EP of China and Odebrecht SA of Brazil.

Image: informante.web.na
Image: informante.web.na

Rossing Uranium Project – Namibia

It is located in the Nabib Desert, Namibia. Rossing Uranium project is an open pit mine. It is the world’s fifth largest uranium project. It contributes nearly eight percent of the uranium produced annually in the world. Commercial exploration of uranium oxide started in 1979. Rio Tinto Group owns 69 percent in the project. Other stakeholders are the Government of Namibia, Iranian Foreign Investment and Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa.

Image: im-mining.com
Image: im-mining.com

Venetia Diamond Mine – South Africa

It is the biggest diamond mine in South Africa, located in Limpopo Province. It is the sixth largest diamond mining project in the world. It cost US$400 million to develop. It is operated by De Beers Group, a diamond exploration, mining and marketing company.  Exploration started in 1992. It has an operational lifespan of more than 20 years. In 2015, the company started a US$ 2 billion project to convert Venetia Diamond Mine from open mining to underground mining. The project will be complete in 2021.

Jwaneng Diamond Mine (Image: diamondinsights.co.uk)
Jwaneng Diamond Mine in Botswana (Image: diamondinsights.co.uk)

Jwaneng Diamond Mine – Botswana

It is an open-pit mine, located in the Kalahari Desert, southern Botswana. The mine produces about 11 million cataracts of diamond. Jwaneng mine is the eighth biggest diamond mine in the world. It became operational in 1982. The Government of Botswana and De Beers Group, a diamond mining and marketing company won exploration and mining rights to the mine. The mine has employed about 2,000 people. It also owns Jwaneng Airport. It accounts for about 70 percent of the country’s total revenue from diamond export.