IN THE STOPE •

Supplied by SRK

With 25 years of experience in the minerals sector of the Democratic Republic of Congo ( DRC ), Dominique Sambwa recently became chairman of SRK Consulting Congo . He told African Mining why he is so excited about the future of mining in the DRC , and of SRK as a consultancy with capital majority owned by local employees .

It was a time when government was starting to pursue partnerships with private companies , based on exploration work by state-owned entities like Gécamines . His next move was to work directly for Gécamines in Likasi as a field geologist to prove up prospects that could provide the focus for such partnerships .

“ From there , I entered the production environment in 2000 as a mining geologist , managing feedings to process plants for Gécamines Centre de Profit Nouco , also in Likasi ,” he said . “ This was a great learning experience for me , as I could become involved in concentrator operations and electrowinning .”

Geology to metallurgy He went on to establish a number of small-scale mining areas for the company . This also introduced him to the issue of informal mining , as many of Gécamines ’ dormant deposits had attracted artisanal miners . His growing experience on plants led to him spending over four years as technical manager on the metallurgical plant of one of the first public-private partnerships in DRC ’ s mining sector .

“ This was an opportunity to be involved from the ground up with the establishment of a plant ,” said Sambwa . “ I had conducted the resource and reserve estimation on the deposit we wanted to mine , and this detailed understanding gave me a great deal of insight into the plant ’ s feasibility and technical requirements .”

Having prepared a positive feasibility study , he then helped design and plan the process plant , which was built between 2003 and 2004 . This worked delved into the detail of equipment selection and electricity supply – as well as the logistics of getting ore from the deposit to the plant . With the launch and successful operation of the new facility , he was drawn back to another demanding project in 2006 , as senior exploration geologist at the recently formed Congolaise des Mines et de Développement ( Comide ).

Dominique Sambwa chairman and geological consultant of SRK Consulting Congo .

Large-scale exploration “ With a large property of three tenements near Tenke , we had 27 small deposits to explore with an ambitious programme and a staff that included about 15 geologists and over 40 technicians ,” he said . “ This was certainly an exciting time , travelling extensively between sites and applying sophisticated techniques including airborne survey , geochemical analysis and ground geophysics , before diving into the brownfield exploration works with diamond drilling that culminated in a drill programme of more than 80,000m .”

It was also a period during which Sambwa could begin to engage younger geologists in practical site work , mentoring them in the early years of their careers or even as they were still completing their studies . It was also when he had his first contact with SRK Consulting , the international network of engineers and scientists who had been contracted to play a role in this project .

The financial crisis of 2008 slowed this work down considerably , as mining companies cut back on exploration efforts and investors

All images : Dominique Sambwa