Modern Mining September 2017

TIN

Kitakya, who was accompanied by Dr Daniel Ngoie Mbayo, the North Kivu Provincial Director of the Ministry of Mines’ Centre of Evaluation, Expertise and Certification. The Minister expressed his full support for the project and wel- comed the prospect of increasing North Kivu’s – and the country’s – tin production. “ABM will dou- ble the DRC’s exports of tin by 10 000 tons per year,” he stated. “The mine holds significant value for the region as it brings local

and regional employment while adding to the region’s infrastructure and social well-being.” Examples of such value, he said, included the building of the Luuka Primary School at Logu- walikale, a substantial upgrade of the region’s roads and the provision of cell phone con- nectivity to the area. He noted that through the Lowa Alliance, a not-for-profit foundation established last year by Alphamin in conjunc- tion with local communities, 115 projects had been identified for development over a five- year period. These will be partially financed by a percentage of ABM’s operational expenses. Robinson told the media at the round table that Bisie used to host an enormous number of artisanal miners – up to 15 000 – at the height

circles (he ran Metorex, a group he is still closely involved with, when it was building the Ruashi copper project near Lubumbashi in Katanga) while Robinson, the son of American missionaries, was born in the DRC and is cur- rently based with his family in Goma. He is particularly expert in managing the politi- cal and social aspects of mining projects and has worked in the past with USAID and cop- per miner Freeport McMoRan, which until recently operated the Tenke Fungurume mine in Katanga. Also present at the round table were North Kivu’s Minister of Mines, Electricity, Small & Medium Enterprises, Industry and Hydrocarbons, Professor Anselme Paluku

Pictured at the recent media round table in

Johannesburg are (from left): North Kivu’s Minister of Mines, Electricity, Small & Medium Enterprises, Industry and Hydrocarbons, Professor Anselme Paluku Kitakya; Charles Needham, Chairman of Alphamin; and Boris Kamstra, CEO of Alphamin.

Photo taken in July last year showing bridge construc- tion on the access road route.

22  MODERN MINING  September 2017