APA-Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) Burkinabe Minister of Mines, Simon-Pierre Boussim, on Tuesday, signed the contracts for the transfer of two mines to the Turkish company Afro Turk.
The transfer procedure concerns the Tambao manganese deposit and the Inata gold mine (in the north of the country), both of which are currently shut down.
The Burkinabe state is selling the Tambao mine to Afro Turk Tambao for CFA 28 billion. The Inata gold mine was sold for two billion CFA francs.
Minister Boussim said that the signing of the contracts allowed the company to own its mining assets and to apply for an operating license, which will “certainly” be granted by the government.
“At this stage, the company is not authorized to operate. It will update the technical and economic studies and apply for exploitation,” Simon-Pierre Boussim explained.
For him, this transfer will also contribute to the fight against terrorism with the creation of bases for the defense and security forces.
“We ask the company to build bases for the defense and security forces in the areas of these mining sites. This is a way to contribute to the resolution of the security crisis we are experiencing,” he went on to say.
The government also urged companies to respect their contracts and develop infrastructure, create jobs and contribute to the development of local communities.
In early March 2023, the government handed over mining assets for industrial exploitation to the Turkish company Afro Turk through a direct agreement procedure.
These mines are integrated projects and development instruments for the Sahel region.
Afro Turk SA is a company affiliated to the Turkish government. It has been working in the mining field since 1938.
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