African Mining May - June 2019 | Page 21

Country in focus been plagued by bandits and criminal activity that have affected local people and expatriates, including senior mine personnel. This has caused some companies to scale back their exploration efforts in the centre and north of the country,” Strong says. Opportunities abound Strong says that license applications can take a while to process, but there is considerable upside available for solid technical teams with access to capital to advance projects. Endeavour Mining’s Ity Mine is the oldest gold mining operation in Côte d'Ivoire. It is important for companies looking to operate in the country to establish solid, trustworthy local contacts and have a presence in the country. Côte d'Ivoire is well connected and visas can be obtained on arrival. The development of new highways and flight routes make travelling around the country considerably easier than a few years ago. The Birimian gold deposits are structurally complex, and this requires a lot of technical expertise and a lot of drilling to be able to prove up a resource, which increases the overall cost of a project. According to Strong, there are numerous mining service companies in the country, including Geodrill, Capital Drilling, and Major Drilling, and adds that the local population is well educated and competent in the mining sector. The streets of Abidjan, where informal trade forms a big part of the growing economy. “Côte d'Ivoire is certainly less developed in the mining sector than its neighbours Mali, Burkina Faso, and Ghana, but shares a considerable amount of the same prospective geology. Since the The road infrastructure in Côte d'Ivoire has improved significantly over the past few years, which makes it a lot easier to do business in the country. www.africanmining.co.za MAY - JUNE 2019 AFRICAN MINING 19