An earthmover scoops raw material for crushing at the stock pile
section, at Kenya Fluorspar Company Limited, in Elgeyo-Marakwet County.
PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NMG
The government has signed a Sh7 billion loan agreement with the
Exim Bank of China, to fund an airborne mapping project of Kenya's
mineral resources.
This follows the signing of the
government-to-government framework agreement in July by the National
Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich.
The Kenya Nationwide Airborne Geophysical Survey project is set to map the country's minerals and natural resources.
The project is aimed at attracting more mineral investment into the country among other key benefits.
“The
plan is to have the project kick off in November 2017. The loan
agreement documents have been sent to China and upon completion of the
paper work, the project will officially be launched with approval from
the Attorney General,” said Mining Cabinet Secretary Dan Kazungu.
16 geoscientists
Upon commencement of the mapping, the Ministry of Mining will
have 16 Kenyan geoscientists to provide technical oversight and
monitoring of the project.
The team will consist of
staff from the Mining ministry, University of Nairobi and the National
Commission for Science, Technology and Innovation.
The
ministry has also retained a team consisting of United Kingdom’s
International Geoscience Services (IGS) and Canada’s Patterson and Grant
to act as independent supervisors on behalf of the ministry.
“This
is to ensure the nationwide airborne survey is done according to global
standards and that Kenya’s geo-data is secured. The Kenya team will be
key in monitoring and evaluation of the project.” said Mr Kazungu.
Should
the project kick off as planned in this year, completion of the mapping
of Kenya’s mineral resources is estimated to take three years.
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