Central Africa Mining | Copper Mining
Central Africa Mining | DRC Copper Reserves
Central Africa Mining is currently attracting the likes of many international mining companies. Because of the vast amount of copper reserves evident within the DRC, the developmental potential gives the region significant hope. As experts explain, the valuable Central African Copper belt expands across the DRC (and Zambia), which means that both countries mine from the same ore body. The DRC’s State-owned copper and cobalt company, Gécamines, aims to produce 100 000 tons of copper by the year 2015.
The current developments evolving in Central Africa’s copper mining industry can provide considerable benefits for the region, ranging from employment opportunities to housing, schools, clinics and recreational facilities. The only aspect and probable the most crusical aspect left for consideration is the availability of infrastructure for the development and operation of mining projects.
Mining in Central Africa |Challenges to overcome
- Electric power is not always readily and consistently available meaning that mining businesses have to resort to expensive diesel generation.
- Infrastructure such as roads, railways, facilities and more. The lack of transport infrastructure in Central Africa Mining reflects delays in the delivery of material and equipment, ultimately delaying project schedules. Transporting copper cathode to ports for export purposes is also arduous and creates its own security issues.
It has been highlighted that with almost all the input materials used at mining operations being imported, a significant opportunity for growth of service industries in the region is not being taken advantage of. If local businesses were able to supply more of the materials and equipment that mining companies needed, then the mining industry could have more impact on economic growth.
Central Africa mining stimulates the potential to use local skills, which will counter the Africa wide problem of an intra-Africa brain-drain, whereby citizens migrate for economic reasons. Therefore, the copper sector can possibly nurture and promote local expertise as a vital contribution to economic growth.
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