The mining fraternity yesterday celebrated the International Mining Day with a call to adopt innovations and research tools that will propel the industry’s economic value.

The Day, celebrated in Kigali, under the theme, "Towards efficient, safe and modern mining,” attracted investors, explorers, artisanal miners and mine managers from across the country.

The Director-General of Rwanda Natural Resources Authority, Emmanuel Nkurunziza, urged sector operators to adhere to modern mining practices that are more productive and safer.

"The mining sector has the potential to become Rwanda’s main foreign exchange earner. There are no more doubts that this country has vast mineral potential, which must be managed efficiently. We have come a long way in transforming the sector, so more efforts must go into modernising our mining methods to ensure that we exploit these resources efficiently,” Nkurunziza said.

Attracting investors

The Chairperson of the Private Sector Federation, Benjamin Gasamagera, praised the sector for implementing transformations that attract investors.

"The mining sector has transformed tremendously by adopting international standards. The Private Sector Federation recognises mining as a priority sector that can propel business growth in Rwanda,” Gasamagera said.

"What remains is the challenge of technical skills; this must be addressed through continued training of miners and equipping them with knowledge about mining practices that are efficient and protective to the environment.”

The president of Rwanda Mining Association, Jean Malic Kalima, urged miners to utilise the financing opportunities available in and out of the country to grow  their mining businesses.

"We used to be faced with lack of funds because banks were not willing to provide loans. We had a meeting with them and explained to them, with statistics, the potential of the mining industry. They are now open to providing funding to mining companies with viable projects,” Kalima said.

Last month, Rwanda hosted the sixth edition of the Summit on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains organised by the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the UN Group of Experts on DR Congo.

Rwanda became the first country in the Great Lakes to issue a regional certificate for the exportation of minerals, a move that is set to boost mineral traceability and transparency.

The government targets to increase revenues from mineral exports from $136.6 million (Rwf87 billion) in 2012, to $409 million (Rwf26o billion) by 2017.