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Mining company, Base Titanium, is the main sponsor of the upcoming Kenya Mining Forum scheduled for Nairobi this September. Kenya’s Mining Cabinet Secretary Dan Kazungu will officially open the event organised by Spintelligent, the trade conference and expo organiser company which has handled seveal resource-based conferences around Africa. “Base’s key message is to show the world what is possible to achieve in Kenya “by showcasing the successful development and operation of the Kwale Mine and the strong cooperation and commitment received from the Government of Kenya, we hope to be viewed as a catalyst for further investment in the country’s mining sector.” ” Joe Schwarz, the General Manager, External Affairs and Development at Base Titanium said in a statement last week. The forum will allow participants to discuss Kenya’s recently updated Mining Act and how it is expected to ease the way for investment into and development of the country’s burgeoning mining sector. Base Titanium is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Australian and UK-listed resources company, Base Resources Limited, which runs its flagship development, Kwale Mineral Sands Project, in Kwale County, 50 kilometrs south of Mombasa. Schwarw said: “Another key message is to demonstrate to potential investors the efforts being undertaken by the government to facilitate growth of the mining sector. “Central to this is the Mining Act 2016, but other initiatives are equally important; for example the plan to conduct the aerial geophysical survey, the huge investments being made in infrastructure and the drive to lower the cost of energy through increased production and improved delivery,” he said. Base completed construction of the Kwale Project infrastructure at the end of 2013 and the first bulk shipment of ilmenite was despatched from its privately owned and operated storage and ship loading facility in Mombasa in February 2014. Schwarz said the mine is currently producing 455,000 tonnes of ilmenite; 85,000 tonnes rutile and 32,000 tonnes of zircon each year. lmenite is the primary ore of titanium, a metal needed to make a variety of high-performance alloys. Most of the ilmenite mined worldwide is used to manufacture titanium dioxide, TiO2, an important pigment, whiting, and polishing abrasive. “The company was recently granted additional exploration tenure and intends to carry out an extensive exploration drilling programme in the hope of making additional resource discoveries to extend the life of mine,” Schwarz said. According to company sources, the government and Kwale County will be receiving about $225 million in tax and royalty payments over the lifetime of the mine, together with considerable indirect taxation benefits. |
