Gabon signs CFA francs 116.7 billion deal to process manganese
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on AGP Gabon
Gabon and South Manganese Investment Limited sign a memorandum of understanding worth CFA francs 116.7 billion to process M’Bembélé manganese locally, in the Ndjolé region. The project is to initially produce 180,000 tonnes a year, then reach 1.08 million tonnes from 2030, according to a ministerial source cited by AGP.
Gabon and Chinese group South Manganese Investment Limited concluded a memorandum of understanding in China on Friday covering an investment of CFA francs 116.7 billion to process M’Bembélé manganese locally, in the Ndjolé region, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Transformation. The project provides for annual production of 180,000 tonnes of processed manganese in a first phase, with capacity rising to 1.08 million tonnes from 2030.
The project also includes ore enrichment and the construction of the energy and logistics infrastructure needed for its operation. It is expected to promote job creation, skills transfer and the production of higher value-added materials, according to the ministry. South Manganese Investment Limited signed the memorandum through its chairman, Zhang He, with Gabonese Minister of Trade, Industry and Transformation Emmanuel Eyeghe Nze.
The signing follows talks in Libreville with CICMHZ, the Gabonese subsidiary of the Chinese group, on its industrial investment projects in Gabon. It is part of the policy of local processing of natural resources promoted by Gabonese President Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, which aims to make Gabon a regional hub for manganese processing by 2029, according to the ministry. Oligui Nguema asks China to process manganese
