African Mining February 2021 | Page 9

AFRICAN BUZZ •

MDA

Mining communities receive cooking solutions .

Due to the Covid-19 limitations , the handover events held earlier this week were attended by a small number of community members , local leaders as well as executives from SANEDI and the MDA .

The MDA ’ s mandate is to create sustainable livelihoods in areas of endemic poverty . The agency works in tandem with partners such as NGOs and CSI programmes , focusing on providing food security , targeted support to emerging farmers and other job creation micro-enterprises . SANEDI is supporting these objectives through the development and use of renewable energy and efficiency systems that use natural and other available resources to enhance the energy optimisation of operations of these community-based establishments .

The arbitration case between Montero Mining and Exploration and the government of Tanzania about the expropriation of the Wigu Hill rare earth element project is coming to a head .

According to Dr Tony Harwood , president of Montero , the company has completed a Litigation Funding Agreement with Omni Bridgeway Canada , an affiliate of the Litigation Funder . “ The Litigation Agreement provides for funds to be drawn from a financing facility to meet all fees and expenses relating to the pursuit of certain claims against the Government of Tanzania for the illegal expropriation and loss of the project , including all costs associated with legal proceedings and , if necessary , enforcement , of any awards . Montero has retained Thierry Lauriol and his team at Jeantet AARPI as highly experienced legal counsel in international arbitration with a track record of success for its clients in Africa .

Montero delivered a Notice of Intent to Submit a Claim to Arbitration to the Attorney General of Tanzania in accordance with the 2013 Agreement for the Promotion and Reciprocal Protection of Investments in the Bilateral Investment Treaty ( BIT ) between Canada and Tanzania .

According to Harwood , the dispute arises out of certain acts and omissions on the part of Tanzania which is in breach of the BIT and international law . Montero commenced exploration activities on the Wigu Hill project in March 2008 when it was held under prospecting license . •