Aljazeera.net correspondents
Port Sudan- The Sudanese Mineral Resources Company revealed agreements and memoranda of understanding in the field of mining with Chinese companies, and the resumption and discussion of arrangements for the return of the Chinese mining company “Norinco” to work in 8 squares to produce gold and copper in Sudan.
The company’s director, Mohamed Taher Omar, told Al Jazeera Net that an agreement had been reached with the company to resume its activity in Sudan, where its investments exceed two billion dollars. Work will be carried out in two gold production squares between the Nile River and Red Sea states, and it is expected to produce about 7 tons of gold per year.
He explained that another understanding for copper mining with the company has reached its final stages, and the agreement will be signed in Sudan after forming a joint technical team to study and complete the technical aspects.
Agreements
The official revealed that Sudan had offered exploration and mining projects, materials used in extraction, and gold exports to the Chinese Mining Companies Association, and the necessity of including them in Sudanese gold exports, indicating that an agreement had been reached with them.
According to Muhammad Tahir, there are frozen agreements that have been activated, in addition to others that are expected, and memoranda of understanding that have been concluded. He said that Norinco, through one of its branches, has mining contracts in 8 squares in the north, center, and the states of the Nile River and the Red Sea, and the value of the agreements amounts to about 8 and 10 billion dollars in gold and copper minerals.
The war reduced the gold production circle in Sudan from 14 to 6 states, and the spokesman Mohammed explained that it represents 80% of gold production, while mining activity in Darfur and Kordofan stopped.
According to the same source, these 6 states are the Nile River, Northern, Red Sea, Kassala, Gadarif and Blue Nile, and they were not affected because they are outside the war zone, noting that a number of capitals directed their activity to mining after it stopped in other areas.
returns
The Director of the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company added that the revenue from gold exports during the last nine months exceeded one billion and 300 million dollars, and is expected to reach one and a half billion dollars by the end of this year.
He revealed the expected plans and policies in the traditional mining sector within the framework of increasing production and revenues and the state’s benefit in this field.
It is noteworthy that Sudan signed a number of agreements in the fields of solar energy, mining and transmission lines during the China-Africa Forum.
The Sovereignty Council media said that memoranda of understanding were signed in the field of mining to extract precious metals through strategic partnerships with Chinese institutions, with a focus on iron ore. The value of the agreements amounts to $30 million.
