Mining in the Central African Republic
Encyclopedia
The Central African Republic
's mineral resource endowment includes copper
, diamond
, gold
, graphite
, ilmenite
, iron ore, kaolin, kyanite
, lignite
, limestone
, manganese
, monazite
, quartz
, rutile
, salt
, tin
, and uranium
. Of these commodities, only diamond and gold were produced in 2006; subsistence farming was the mainstay of the economy. The World Trade Organization
estimated that the mining sector
accounted for about 7% of the gross domestic product
; rough diamond
and timber were the country's leading export products.
, Haute-Kotto
, and Haute-
Sangha. In 2006, diamond production increased to about 420000 carats (84 kg) from a revised 383294 carats (76.7 kg) in 2005; diamond exports, which were mainly destined for Europe and Israel
, amounted to about 416000 carats (83.2 kg) and were valued at $59 million.
continues to explore for gold in the country. A prefeasibility study for the Passendro gold project was completed by gbM ltd. of the united Kingdom in early 2006 and was followed by a feasibility study conducted by Senet (pty) ltd. of South Africa, which was commissioned during the third quarter of 2006. the prefeasibility study had envisioned an open pit operation with a gravity carbon-in-leach processing plant that would process about 3 million metric tons per year (Mt/yr) of ore with production estimated to be about 6,200 kilograms per year (kg/yr) of gold (reported as 200,000 troy ounces).
other companies exploring for gold in the country included prospero Minerals Corp. (formerly Corumel Minerals Corp., name changed in 2006), and tamija gold & diamond exploration inc. of the united States, and london-based pan African resources plc.
region in the eastern part of the country, and there was further prospecting in the Berbérati
and Bangassou
areas; exploitation has not occurred, because of high start-up costs and poor transportation. Reserves were estimated at 18,000 tons. Iron deposits estimated at 3.5 million tons have been exploited, but production has ceased.
Central African Republic
The Central African Republic , is a landlocked country in Central Africa. It borders Chad in the north, Sudan in the north east, South Sudan in the east, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of the Congo in the south, and Cameroon in the west. The CAR covers a land area of about ,...
's mineral resource endowment includes copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
, gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
, graphite
Graphite
The mineral graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. It was named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Ancient Greek γράφω , "to draw/write", for its use in pencils, where it is commonly called lead . Unlike diamond , graphite is an electrical conductor, a semimetal...
, ilmenite
Ilmenite
Ilmenite is a weakly magnetic titanium-iron oxide mineral which is iron-black or steel-gray. It is a crystalline iron titanium oxide . It crystallizes in the trigonal system, and it has the same crystal structure as corundum and hematite....
, iron ore, kaolin, kyanite
Kyanite
Kyanite, whose name derives from the Greek word kuanos sometimes referred to as "kyanos", meaning deep blue, is a typically blue silicate mineral, commonly found in aluminium-rich metamorphic pegmatites and/or sedimentary rock. Kyanite in metamorphic rocks generally indicates pressures higher than...
, lignite
Lignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
, limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, manganese
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
, monazite
Monazite
Monazite is a reddish-brown phosphate mineral containing rare earth metals. It occurs usually in small isolated crystals. There are actually at least four different kinds of monazite, depending on relative elemental composition of the mineral:...
, quartz
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
, rutile
Rutile
Rutile is a mineral composed primarily of titanium dioxide, TiO2.Rutile is the most common natural form of TiO2. Two rarer polymorphs of TiO2 are known:...
, salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
, tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
, and uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
. Of these commodities, only diamond and gold were produced in 2006; subsistence farming was the mainstay of the economy. The World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...
estimated that the mining sector
accounted for about 7% of the gross domestic product
Gross domestic product
Gross domestic product refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living....
; rough diamond
Rough Diamond
Rough diamond refers to a diamond which has not yet been cut, but may also refer to:* Rough Diamond , a drama series by BBC Northern Ireland* Rough Diamond , a British progressive rock band...
and timber were the country's leading export products.
Production
Production of gold and diamond, which is mostly artisanal, comes from the regions of BerberatiBerbérati
Berbérati is the third-largest city in the Central African Republic with a population of 76,918 . It is the capital of the Mambéré-Kadéï Prefecture. The city is situated in the south-west of the country near the border with Cameroon...
, Haute-Kotto
Haute-Kotto
Haute-Kotto is one of the 14 prefectures of the Central African Republic. Its capital is Bria. It is the largest prefecture in the Central African Republic....
, and Haute-
Sangha. In 2006, diamond production increased to about 420000 carats (84 kg) from a revised 383294 carats (76.7 kg) in 2005; diamond exports, which were mainly destined for Europe and Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, amounted to about 416000 carats (83.2 kg) and were valued at $59 million.
Structure of the mineral industry
Production and trade of diamond and gold are overseen by the Bureau d'Evaluation et de Côntrole de Diamant et d'Or (BECDOR). BECDOR maintains the country's diamond and gold production database and assesses the value of diamond parcels that come from the various diamond-exporting companies (collectively known as bureaux d'achat) that operate in the country.Gold
Axmin Inc. of CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
continues to explore for gold in the country. A prefeasibility study for the Passendro gold project was completed by gbM ltd. of the united Kingdom in early 2006 and was followed by a feasibility study conducted by Senet (pty) ltd. of South Africa, which was commissioned during the third quarter of 2006. the prefeasibility study had envisioned an open pit operation with a gravity carbon-in-leach processing plant that would process about 3 million metric tons per year (Mt/yr) of ore with production estimated to be about 6,200 kilograms per year (kg/yr) of gold (reported as 200,000 troy ounces).
other companies exploring for gold in the country included prospero Minerals Corp. (formerly Corumel Minerals Corp., name changed in 2006), and tamija gold & diamond exploration inc. of the united States, and london-based pan African resources plc.
Diamond
in 2006, energem resources inc. of Canada continued to focus on the development of suitable diamond prospects within its bangana, bria, Kotto, and Quadda concessions. vaaldiam resources ltd.’s plans to explore for diamond-bearing kimberlite pipes in the country continued to be on hold during the year as the company focused on other priority exploration areas in Brazil and Canada. other companies exploring for diamond included pangea diamondfields plc, which planned to invest $3.2 million in a bulk sampling plant for its dimbi project concession area, and gem diamonds ltd., which held exploration and mining permits for the Mambere river project near the town of berberati.Mineral fuels
Central African Republic did not produce mineral fuels in 2006 and depended upon imports for its energy requirements. united reef ltd. of Canada, which had obtained the rights to a petroleum exploration permit in the country through a farm-in agreement with denver-based rSM production Corp. (rSM) in 2004, was unable to continue with its exploration activities in 2006. the company declared “force majeure” following the lack of progress in resolving a contract dispute between rSM and the government. the company’s exploration permit was for the doseo and the Salamat basins in the northern part of the country.Uranium
Uranium was discovered in 1966 in the BakoumaBakouma
Bakouma is a sub-prefecture in the prefecture of Mbomou in Central African Republic. The area is known for its prosperity of mineral resources which have for a long time remained unexploited.-History:...
region in the eastern part of the country, and there was further prospecting in the Berbérati
Berbérati
Berbérati is the third-largest city in the Central African Republic with a population of 76,918 . It is the capital of the Mambéré-Kadéï Prefecture. The city is situated in the south-west of the country near the border with Cameroon...
and Bangassou
Bangassou
Bangassou is a city in the south eastern Central African Republic, lying on the north bank of the Mbomou River. It has a population of 24,447 and is the capital of the Mbomou prefecture. It is known for its wildlife and its market and is linked by ferry to the Democratic Republic of Congo on the...
areas; exploitation has not occurred, because of high start-up costs and poor transportation. Reserves were estimated at 18,000 tons. Iron deposits estimated at 3.5 million tons have been exploited, but production has ceased.