Bright future for mineral investors in Rukwa

Tag : Bismuth Nitrate
DUE to its geological framework, Rukwa region is endowed withabundant mineral deposits of different kinds, include; preciousmetals, gemstones, industrial minerals and construction materials.Prospects for local and foreign investors in prospecting and miningare bright. Staff Writer SOSTHENES MWITA, who visited the regionrecently, spoke to Regional Commissioner Daniel Ole Njoolay. Healso met a number of stakeholders in the mining sector.

RUKWA region has a wealth of minerals. Vast deposits of gold arefound in Mpanda district and lesser deposits at Mkwamba, Chemchem,Uruwira, Sikitiko, Kapapa, Singililwa, Ibindi, Magomamoto, Maisope,Njiapanda, Mwenge, D-Reef, Katuma, Katisunga, Kanyega, Twamba,Simbwesa and Karema.

Silver, which is also found in abundance in Mpanda district, hasbeen sighted in Mkwamba, Chemchem, Mnyakaliza, Uruwira and Nsimboareas. Platinum has been discovered in Mibango area north-west ofMwese Township in Mpanda district.

Copper deposits are found in the vicinity of Mpanda Township and atKarema, Singililwa, Twamba, Kasanga and Kapapa in Mpanda andSumbawanga Rural districts. Lead deposits have been prospected inMkwamba, Chemchem, Mnyakaliza, Uruwira and Nsimbo areas in Mpandadistrict.

There are 33 Prospecting Licences (PLs) held by different companiesin Rukwa, but only eleven licences work actively. There are 35valid Primary Prospecting Licences (PPLs) for prospecting varioustypes of minerals in the region.

Small-scale mineral prospectors help a lot to discover newoccurrences of minerals and sometimes trigger a mineral rush amongresidents, according to Mr Aloo Malushi, a small scale miner atKarema.

Rukwa has two large-scale mineral rights. These are for gold andgalena. One is located at Singililwa and at Nyakaliza areasrespectively in Mpanda district. There are 215 valid Primary MiningLicences (PMLs) for small-scale miners in the region.

There are for different types of minerals such as gold, lead,gemstones, coal and building materials. Sumbawanga Rural districthas 96 PMLs; Mpanda has 98 and Nkasi has 21. A large number ofthese licences are not active due to lack of capital. Large-scalecoal mining has started in Sumbawanga Rural district.

Upendo Group Limited, a company which operates from Sumbawanga,ventured into coal mining in 2004. The company is currentlyextracting coal and has capacity to supply about 500 tones of coalmonthly to consumers.

Upendo Group has identified possible markets for a total of 6,000tones of coal per month, but has not been able to supply coal toconsumers at that volume due to inadequate equipment, according toRukwa regional Commissioner, Mr Daniel ole Njoolay.

The company also faces serious transport problems due to the poorcondition of roads in the region. The problem, consequently, makestransportation costs to markets exorbitantly expensive. Whateverthe case, there are abundant prospects for investing in mineralprospecting and mining in Rukwa region.

Large, medium and small-scale prospectors and miners can invest inthe venture. The main transport route (the Sumbawanga-Tunduma Road)which is currently in a pathetic situation, will be paved withtarmac and tenders for the job will be floated soon. Funding isexpected to come in the form of US donation.

Markets for equipment used in prospecting and mining andconsumables such as explosives, fuel and others can be establishedto support mining investors. Some investors can buy and sellminerals or put up laboratory services to back up prospectors andminers.

Other minerals found in Rukwa (with locations in brackets) areChromium (Twamba Hill in Karema); Manganese (Manyoro area insideKatavi National Park); Nikel ( Kungwe Bay near Lake Tanganyika inMpanda district); Uranium (Mpanda district); Tungsten (IbindiNjiapanda in Mpanda district).

Titanium and Zirconium (Mtemba and Mkwemba wards in Nkasidistrict); Niobium metals, Tantalum and Columbium (Sangu-Ikola areanear Karema); Zinc (Kasanga-Kirando areas on Lake Tanganyikashoreline in Mpanda district.

Emerald (Mponda village in the Sumbawanga Municipality );Aquamarine (Mlombo village near Lake Kwela ); Limonite (at Mbugaabout ten kilometers from Namwele village in the municipality ofSumbawanga); Kaolin (along Sumbawanga-Kasanga road) and Mica (atSibwesa in Mpanda district).

Coal is found at Muze, Namwele and Mkomolo areas in themunicipality of Sumbawanga , Sumbawanga Rural and Nkasi districts.Topaz deposits are found at Karema and green Tourmaline is found atKapalamsenga near Karema and at Chala, Swaila, Lyele and Tambarukavillages in Mpanda district.

Other minerals found in various areas in Rukwa region are Garnets,Galena, Amethyst, Moonstone, Piozoelectric Quatz (crystal rock),Zircon, Burma Ruby, Bismuth and Nitre (or potassium Nitrate) whichis found on Ugalla River banks in Mpanda district.

Although sulphur is not included in the list, there are indicationsof the mineral being available in Sumbawanga Municipal area. Hardrocks and sand are found in abundance throughout the region. Mostof them are high quality building materials.

Except for the quantity of coal deposits, which is estimated to bebetween and 20 million tones, there is no information onapproximate quantities of deposits of other minerals in the region,according to a write-up from the RCs office.

Mineral exploration and prospecting activities that have been donein Rukwa is very minimal, says RC Njoolay. Large numbers of themineral occurrences are still unevaluated.

At the moment, prospecting for minerals and mining are greatlyhampered by lack of capital and the near absence of infrastructure,including roads and reliable electricity supply. Currently,electricity shunted in by Zambia Electric Supply Company (Zesco) iserratic and carries dangerous fluctuations.

Invariably, power cuts and power restorations come unannounced andoften cause regrettable inconveniences. Electricity supplied byTanesco is available in Sumbawanga and Mpanda towns only.

The sources of the electricity are hydropower supplied from Zambiaand thermal electricity generating stations run by Tanesco. TheZambia source is used to supply Sumbawanga Municipality whileMpanda is served by generators.