Africa Top Stories

Mining in the Mekong: Myanmar to outperform, Thailand to underperform – report  

Myanmar is expected to lead in the Mekong region for…

Global coal mining industry sees compound annual growth

The global coal mining market is growing, with a CAGR of close…

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Kimberley Process members still divided over Zim diamonds

Zimbabwe has been given the green light to sell diamonds from its Marange diamond fields by the industry's leading certification system, but the decision did not have the backing of all members. Participants of the Kimberley Process, which aims to stop "conflict diamonds" entering the market, met this week in Democratic Republic of Congo to discuss the Marange diamond fields but remained divided over a final statement.

WGC launches initiative to combat conflict gold

The World Gold Council (WGC) produced a draft framework of standards designed to combat gold that enables, fuels or finances armed conflict. The standards, which were compiled together with the WDC’s member companies and leading gold refiners are designed to enable miners to produce a stream of newly-mined gold that is certified as “conflict free” on a global basis. Image of Ethiopian soldier is from Wikipedia.

Perseus completes US$85M drawdown for Central Ashanti Gold Project

Perseus Mining Limited (ASX/TSX: PRU) is pleased to announce that the US$85 million Project Finance Facility provided to Perseus’s 90%-owned subsidiary, Central Ashanti Gold Limited (“CAGL”), by Macquarie Bank Limited and Credit Suisse AG has been drawn down. To date, approximately US$152 million of the estimated US$174 million capital cost of Perseus’s Central Ashanti Gold Project in Ghana has been funded by equity capital raised by Perseus. The balance of construction costs will be financed using funds drawn under the debt facility.

IAMGOLD Increases Dividend by 150% and Provides Update for Q2 2011

"Cost inflation has been experienced at all operations," continued Mr. Stothart. "The industry is experiencing higher costs for fuel, consumables and labour in all regions this year, as well as higher royalties commensurate with the higher gold prices. Even with these higher costs, and a conservative gold price assumption of $1,200 per ounce, we believe that the projected cash flow from our operations combined with our current cash position will fund our significant three-year $1.2 billion investment to expand production at our existing gold mines and further strengthen our balance sheet."

Zambia scoffs at Zimbabwe and South Africa mine nationalization schemes

On Tuesday Zambia's Finance Minister mocked Zimbabwe and South Africa for planning to forcibly raise government stakes in foreign mines, saying "the Zambian miner in 1970s was a happier miner than a miner during the period of state ownership of the mines.” Under Zimbabwe's on-again off-again indigenization policy mining companies were granted until the beginning of June to submit proposals about transferring majority ownership to locals while there are growing calls within the ruling party in South Africa to move ahead with nationalization as called for in the country's Freedom Charter.

Gem Diamonds to supply water to Kalahari bushmen fighting for residence rights in game reserve

London-listed Gem Diamonds said in a statement on Monday that it will drill four boreholes in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve in partnership with VOX United, a non-governmental organisation to provide the bushmen or Basarwa living in the reserve with water. The community is locked in a bitter battle with the Botswana government which accuses them of depleting the park's natural resources, while the Basarwa say that the government is violating their rights by trying to relocate them and that their impact on the environment is negligible.

Gold Fields Ghana acquisition approved

Further to the announcement on 15 April 2011, Gold Fields announced that its shareholders have overwhelmingly approved the US$667 million acquisition of IAMGOLD Corporation's 18.9% stake in the Tarkwa and Damang gold mines in Ghana. Of the 603 million shares (84% of total shares in issues) that were voted at a general meeting 93% were cast in favour of the transaction.

Allana Potash Announces New NI 43-101 Compliant Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources of 673 Million Tonnes and an Increase in Inferred Mineral Resources to 596 Million Tonnes

Allana Potash announced that it has received an updated National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") compliant Mineral Resource Estimate from ERCOSPLAN Ingenieurgesellschaft Geotechnik und Bergau ("ERCOSPLAN") on its Danakhil Potash Project in Ethiopia. The updated mineral resource estimate includes all four potash bearing beds (sylvinite, upper and lower carnallite and kainitite) in the project and is comprised of Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources totaling 673 Million tonnes with an average grade 18.65% KCl (composite of all four potash beds) and Inferred Mineral Resources totaling 596 Million tonnes with an average grade of 19.96% KCl (composite of all four potash beds).

Newmont Nusa Tenggara IPO won’t happen this year

Martiono Hadianto, president director of Newmont Nusa Tenggara, said the gold miner's IPO is not likely to take place this year. NNT's management had planned to hold the IPO during the second half of this year with the long-delayed divestment process completed by mid-April.