Mining Sector in solidarity drive

Investors in the mining sector have been urged to enhance the sector and ensure its sustainability for the benefit of the country and its people.The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Caroline Kayonga, made the call yesterday while meeting with the investors.“Our sector is improving at an impressive pace; we want you to be part of this development process. You should be the engines of the mining sector development,” she urged.“The mining sector creates jobs and investors should not only operate on a sustainable basis but should also consider the human factor in their operations”.The meeting that brought together the investors and officials from the ministry, was aimed at exploring possible ways to boost the sector.Kayonga noted that the government was implementing regulations on traceability and tagging of minerals as required globally.The exercise aims at verifying the origin of all minerals. The exercise gained currency after Dodd-Frank Act was signed into law by the US president in 2009. It aims at barring “conflict minerals” from gaining access to the US market.Minerals ranking highly on the country’s mineral export receipts include tantalum, tungsten, gold and tin.Mohmoud Sahem, Managing Director of Pyramids Wolfram mining industry in Muhanga District, said the government was flexible in addressing some of the challenges they face in the sector.“We have strong support from the government; so it is very easy to achieve a common understanding towards solving some of the problems we face,” he said.Experts from the London-based International Tin Research Institute (ITRI) involved in traceability of the minerals, recently said Rwanda had vast mineral potential.The President of Rwanda Miners Association, Jean Malic Kalima, said his association would come up with clear policies to promote the sector .“We welcome our achievements. We want to make the sector strong and sustainable,” said Kalima who is also the Regional Director of Wolfram Company.Rwanda produces between 8,000 to 9,000 tonnes of mineral compounds every year though the export value depends on the market dynamics. Last year, the sector generated $158 million.

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Mining Sector in solidarity drive