Malawi’s Mining, Oil and Gas News #27: June 2017
It likely comes as no surprise that the Mines and Minerals Bill was not tabled during the last sitting of parliament, despite promises made repeatedly over the last two years that it would make its way to the National Assembly.
Patrick Matanda, Principal Secretary for the Ministry of Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, said
We have just finalised the drafting of the new Bill and by the look of things, it cannot be ready for this meeting. Maybe in the next meeting because it has to go through the Cabinet committee before it comes to the House.
Nevertheless, government has confirmed that it is drafting a petroleum policy and stakeholder consultations have started. Hopefully, this will be completed more quickly than the draft Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Policy which has been in draft form since 2014. And the Malawi University of Science and Technology is to introduce Bachelor of Science in Petroleum.
The dispute over the northern boundary between Malawi and Tanzania continues to be in the public eye. This month, D.D. Phiri weighed into the discussions, responding to the question ‘Has Malawi got sufficient grounds for claiming the whole lake?’.
Some residents in Karonga have welcomed oil exploration and called for no more middle men between mine companies and Karonga community. And also in Karonga, Aford [Alliance for Democracy] sues Paladin for allegedly causing cancer and death in North Malawi: Chihana says UK lawyers to work ‘pro-bono’. Aford President Enoch Chihana said
As Aford, we are pursing the matter on behalf of the people of Karonga and the people of the north, as well as the people of Malawi. Paladin has been careless, this is why some people contracted cancer.
There are still some people in hospital suffering from cancer due to the mine, others have been discharged to die at home while others are already in their graves. The lawyers are here to document all that before th ecommencement of the K350 million classic lawsuit.
Some 6 000 ex-miners submit details for Teba compensation out of 13 839 Malawian ex-miners expected to benefit from South African compensation and social security funds.
In news from the private sector, Sovereign Metals presented a promising scoping study for its graphite project in Malingunde. It has comparatively low capital expenditure and operating cost requirements, a mine life of 17 years, and a short payback period. The Scoping Study also uses modest price estimates and is based on the assumption that diesel generators will be used to run the project. Australian-listed Sovereign Metals is working on its pre-feasibility and feasibility studies as well as Environmental and Social Impact Assessments.
Take a look at the company’s presentation.
In other corporate news:
- Sacoil needs shareholders’ nod to quit costly AIM listing, it holds exploration rights to Block 1 in Malawi for petroleum
- Canada’s Mkango aims for rare earths production from 2020 in Phalombe, Malawi, as Serendipity smiles on Mkango’s Malawian assets as renewables growth demands more REEs
- LafargeHoclim adds new cement brand (SupaSet)
And, in personal news, I am on the look out for new opportunities after leaving Citizens for Justice as a CIM Integrated Expert following 2.5 years of service.
