BURUNDI LAUNCHES NICKEL MINE AT MUSONGATI SITE

Burundi Second Vice-President Dr. Gervais Rufyikiri.

BUJUMBURA, Burundi - Burundi last week saw the launch of the first mining activities for nickel at the Musongati site. It has an estimated 150 million tons of the metal. 

The ceremonies were chaired by the Burundi Second Vice-President Dr. Gervais Rufyikiri, in, Rutana Province, southern Burundi.

The Musongati mine will be exploited in a joint enterprise called Burundi Musongati Mining (BMM). It is made of Burundi Mining Metallurgy International and the Burundi government. 

Dr. Gervais Rufyikiri described the event as a memorable event in the history of the country.  “The launch of the mining activities is an eloquent sign of peace recovered and stability. The nickel deposits also exist in Nyabikere and Waga, b ut the most important deposit is the one of Musongati. Burundi is among the 10 countries in the world that have important deposits of nickel untapped according to the study commissioned by the African Development Bank in 2009,” he said.

He said Burundi expects many positive things from the mining activities towards paying for the reduction of poverty and the implementation of projects and planned development programs in various fields.

These include agriculture and livestock, health, education, construction of major works of public interest such as hydroelectric dams, transport infrastructure, protection of the environment, building of social infrastructure, tourism development, job creation and housing. 

He said the mining of nickel also goes hand in  hand with the increased supplies of electricity. “The initiation and promotion of public-private partnership for the construction of a hydroelectric plant, the ongoing negotiations with Tanzania and development partners for the construction of a railway which will connect Musongati to Tanzania, are vivid examples of will, commitment and determination of Burundi for the implementation of the project,|” he said. 

He asked the BMM representatives to work hard in respect of the terms of the mining agreement for the site. He repeated the commitment of the government to support the company. 

The Second Vice-President took the opportunity to invite domestic and foreign investors to invest in Burundi in diversified sectors and to take advantage of the good business climate and its various potentials for investment. 

The Managing Director of  BMM International, Dr. Danko Konchar, said Musongati nickel deposits were discovered in the last century,  in 1972. The Burundian government, with financial support from the World Bank and UNDP, made the first studies. He said other metals associated with the nickel such as iron, copper, cobalt and platinum are have  also been traced. 

However, he said 800MW of energy is required to exploit the Musongati mine site. He indicated that BMM via the Kermas Company will soon begin construction of a hydroelectric power plant but in the meantime it will begin exploitation activities by using solar energy.

East African Business Week