CAPE TOWN, February 4 (ANA) - Dakar in Senegal will soon be the country’s mining hub, secretary-general in the Ministry of Mines and Geology Ibrahima Gueye said on Tuesday.
He was speaking at the 2020 Investing in African Mining Indaba where he informed potential investors about the emerging Senegal project launched in 2014.
Gueye said the project would see the country’s infrastructure develop to create a road link between the regions, as well as construction of a new airport in 2030. Gueye also spoke of the mining code, an agreement on policies between the operating companies and the state, adopted in 2019.
“The mining code also includes the promotion of human rights."
He said the development of energy infrastructure was on a back burner as there had been a “slight increase” in energy usage.
He said the country’s principal mineral was phosphate. From 2014 to 2018, 548 000 tons of phosphate were produced and the goal was to exploit 50 million tons in the future.
Senegal intends to promote artisans and miners through partnerships with the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union.
“We also have marble and gemstones but the challenge in exploiting these is the lack of railway infrastructure. “We have also seen an opportunity in mining building substances such as clay, which is being neglected because everyone is focused on gold and other big minerals,” he said.
Gueye said the government had created a road map that would showcase the country’s plans for 2020 through to 2022.
- African News Agency (ANA); Editing by Naomi Mackay
