Adamus ready to move forward
March 9 - 15, 2010
AFTER locking in $A70 million in debt funding last year, Adamus Resources is raising another $A30 million to get it over the development line at its potential 100,000-ounce Southern Ashanti gold project in Ghana.
Starting small
March 9 - 15, 2010
YOU don’t often hear company managing directors admit the main reason they want to get into production is to fund drilling, but that’s precisely the approach Signature Metals’ Bill Oliver wants to take at his company’s gold project in Ghana.
West Africa web of intrigue
March 9 - 15, 2010
MARCH 8: THE Canadian firm that a few years back liked an Australian gold developer’s name so much that it adopted it as its own after buying the company, is back on the prowl, and ASX-listed companies with gold projects in West Africa had better be aware.
FMG Mark II?
March 2 - 8, 2010
A MAJOR new iron ore play in Sierra Leone could be Africa’s answer to Fortescue Metals Group’s Pilbara operations, although some of the hurdles it faces makes FMG’s efforts look like a walk in the park.
Lihir divides the tipsters
February 23 - March 1, 2010
ANALYSTS are divided on Lihir Gold’s Bonikro venture in Cote D’Ivoire and whether recent unrest in the African nation is a major risk for the company, with some market watchers more concerned with the company’s progress on expansion plans for Lihir Island and its search for a new chief executive.
Carr ready to follow in Ampella's wake
February 16 - 22, 2010
HOWARD Carr jets off to Ouagadougou this week as the company he heads, Vital Metals, swings into action in the West African country that has hogged all the gold headlines of late, Burkina Faso. Vital and the likes of Predictive Discovery are among those now boosting the geological talent pool busy combing the ground in the wake of the success of Gryphon Minerals and, in particular, the outstanding Ampella Mining.
Parsons knows ...
February 16 - 22, 2010
STEVE Parsons is set for an intense three week roadshow across the globe as the somewhat forgotten gold story from the exploration hotspot of Burkina Faso, Gryphon Minerals, ratchets up its marketing and promotion.
Simple appeal
January 26 - February 1, 2010
KISS, one of the better acronyms in a world creaking under the weight of dodgy ones, sums up the great appeal of Discovery Metals and its near-development Boseto copper project in Botswana. And a simple copper project in this day and age would seem a very, very valuable commodity indeed.
Koka shaping up for Chalice
December 7 - 13, 2009
OVERCOME concerns about Eritrea and Chalice Gold Mines looks to have a promising gold project in hand plus a ground holding with significant VMS prospectivity.
Challenges still await bold Perseus
November 23 - 29, 2009
RBS initiation of coverage of Perseus Mining and its West African gold adventures has seen the analysts at the broker being refreshingly candid in being both impressed and cautious of the company’s outlook.
A hard act to follow
November 23 - 29, 2009
WHENEVER a third world nation announces reviews and revisions to its mining system a collective groan escapes from Western mining companies who assume, often correctly, that the planned reform is likely to bring insignificant tinkering inspired more by a political agenda than any genuine desire to encourage foreign investment. The feeling surrounding the Mining Act pushed through in Sierra Leone last Tuesday, however, is conspicuously disparate.
Mumbwa nears funding juncture
November 16 - 22, 2009
THE world class potential of the Mumbwa exploration joint venture in Zambia is starting to be revealed, with the initial IOCG resource at Kitumba said by the junior partner Blackthorn Resources to compare “favourably” to established mining operations.
Tiger boss has Kipoi in his sights
November 9 - 15, 2009
THE inevitable corporate whispers are being made but right now Tiger Resources’ David Young is busying himself for roadshows and full scale development activities on the ground after the company secured the financing needed to develop its copper operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
PlatAust offers different view of dim platinum
November 9 - 15, 2009
PLATINUM Australia has got off to a bit of a rocky start at its Smokey Hills operation in South Africa, but with issues resolved and a likely steady stream of positive news flow in the pipeline, the company’s market prospects are looking up. Moreover, it’s well positioned in what is an exceeding tough sector in the mining world.
Less talk more action, John (but you can talk to us)
November 2 - 8, 2009
JOHN Borshoff’s Paladin Energy has been advised to tone down the rhetoric and start delivering after the independent uranium miner again missed its production targets for the just completed September quarter.
Look what's hiding under the cover
October 19 - 25, 2009
ASHANTI Goldfields, now AngloGold Ashanti, has been working the Obuasi gold project since 1897 for about 30 million ounces of gold. The company’s extensive and expensive near-mine exploration program has also proven up almost 10Moz in reserves and some 40Moz in resources. But could the gold giant have overlooked a major extension to the Obuasi gold trend right next door? Canadian junior Pelangio Exploration thinks so.
Something's gotta give
October 12 - 18, 2009
TIME will tell which of the bevy of proposed phosphate projects actually get up, but it doesn’t take a huge leap of faith to see support for a decent-size operation on Oklo Uranium’s Mali ground growing if the company can get a move on and give its ambitions some real shape.
Analysts like most of what they see at Lumwana
October 5 - 11, 2009
LAST weekend analysts visited Equinox Minerals’ Lumwana copper operation in Zambia and reportedly liked what they saw.
Ivey set for Castle ramp-up
October 5 - 11, 2009
WITH institutions evidently agreeing a value proposition is potentially at hand with Castle Minerals and its extensive ground holdings in Ghana, CEO Mike Ivey is set to pack the bag and head to West Africa this month as major gold exploration programs get into full swing over the balance of 2009.
Tiger happy with Kipoi tenure
September 28 - October 4, 2009
DOING business in the Democratic Republic of Congo saw Tiger Resources forced to stump up an additional and unexpected $US2.55 million during September, but the company is now confident that it is in position to proceed without further unpleasant surprises.
Mantra maintains climb on hot hits
September 21 - 27, 2009
STRONGLY backed uranium explorer Mantra Resources passed the $A500 million capitalisation mark this month as investors continued to like what they see on the ground at the company’s Mkuju River project in southern Tanzania.
Minister lays down Burkina welcome mat
September 21 - 27, 2009
IT’S ALL about the gold in Burkina Faso right now, but mines minister Abdoulaye Cisse believes up to $US500 million could be invested in other mineral developments over the next five years, including manganese, zinc, phosphate, diamonds and uranium.
Right place, right time
September 14 - 20, 2009
BOTSWANA often gets wraps for being a prime destination in Africa for miners from a geopolitical perspective and Discovery Metals is one company set to benefit with its emerging Boseto copper project.
African re-energises Zambia campaign
September 14 - 20, 2009
AFRICAN Energy Resources (AFR) is back drilling targets designed to add life to its potential uranium operations in Zambia.
Fighting to make the grade
September 14 - 20, 2009
THE PLIGHT of AIM-listed Shanta Gold accurately reflects market conditions in London. With more than 2.5 million ounces in resources and a trading price of £0.06 per share, investors aren’t sure whether the junior represents an opportunity or a lost cause.
West Africa’s two-tiered playing field
September 7 - 13, 2009
FIFTEEN new mid-sized gold mines in five years is a bonanza investment rate for any mineral province around the world. For West Africa, the “hottest place for gold exploration on the planet at the moment”, it represents an awakening. The giants of the industry are stirring, the smell of $US1000/oz gold in their nostrils no doubt helping.
One out of the Anvil Congo copper mould
September 7 - 13, 2009
ANVIL Mining has so impressed the team at Mawson West that it’s copying Anvil’s copper template to success in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And what better way to increase its chances of success than bringing in the guy that got Dikulushi up and running and was Anvil’s general manager in the DRC, Mike O’Sullivan.
Sundance awaits its time in the sun
September 7 - 13, 2009
DIFFERENT jurisdiction, same big problem! That’s the situation for the Cameroon-focused Sundance Resources which, like peers in Australia, has a promising iron ore project (in fact very promising) but no prospect, in its own right, of getting the product to port and market. Hence, it too, is working on the M&A angle.
Perseus sets off on two-year journey
September 7 - 13, 2009
PERSEUS Mining managing director Mark Calderwood believes the company can achieve payback of its $US148 million investment in the Ayanfuri gold project in Ghana in little more than a year at current high gold prices.
Lihir hits West Africa expansion trail
September 7 - 13, 2009
SPECULATION about the who, what, where and when of Lihir Gold’s flagged West African acquisition strategy has quickly turned to answers, with ABN-Amro plumping for Perseus Mining as the pick of the likely targets and RBC saying it believes Lihir won’t wait longer than 2010 to start aggressively growing its production profile.
Bojanjac points to value conundrum
September 7 - 13, 2009
MARK Bojanjac says the market underperformance of Adamus Resources is an “enigma”. He’s probably got a point … to a point.
Tin take has Kasbah in a hot spot
August 31 - September 6, 2009
KASBAH Resources listed some two-and-a-half years ago and won’t be producing tin in Morocco from its Achmmach project for another 3-4 years. That hasn’t stopped the company’s well-credentialed backers continuing to fund the junior, and there are a number of pertinent reasons why.
Fertile ground
August 31 - September 6, 2009
LOW profile Azumah Resources expects drilling over the next few months will get it to the tipping point of being able to develop a gold mining operation in north-west Ghana. And in the process, enable the all important market re-rating to gain traction.
In a bind
August 24 - 30, 2009
A DRAWNOUT review of 61 mining contracts in the Democratic Republic of Congo designed to clean up the country’s shady mining industry officially came to an end early this month but failed to provide clarity on two of its most valuable projects. The underlying motives of the review and the government’s commitment to reform remain equally opaque.
Anvil's Turner: Trafigura deal best on the table
August 17 - 23, 2009
REACTION from analysts to Anvil Mining’s $US200 million deal with commodity trader Trafigura was generally positive during a conference call from Toronto last week, though there was also one or two uncomfortable questions posed as to whether the copper miner might be selling an equity stake in itself too cheaply.
Lumwana mine ramp-up still challenge for Equinox
August 10 - 16, 2009
OPERATIONAL questions remain with Equinox not yet got over its growing pains but for those confident of the copper company’s abilities, the stock is an attractive proposition on most measures compared to its peers.
Investors must stay resolute
July 27 - August 2, 2009
EQUATION unchanged. The re-rating of Resolute Mining remains completely hinged to the future of the commissioning Syama operation, and with cash tight, the tough times are continuing for investors.
Bannerman to search for higher grades
July 20 - 26, 2009
HAVING done a lot of work outlining resources at its low-grade Etango uranium project in Namibia, indications are that Bannerman Resources is set to seek some sizzle with a significant exploration campaign targeting higher grade uranium prospects.
Golden Chalice
July 13 - 19, 2009
JUST at about the time that the Lords Ashes test rolls around it’s not unusual to see the odd Australian swing through London on a crucial business trip.
Glorious past; uncertain future
June 22 - 28, 2009
POWER shortages, militant labour unions, AIDS, crime, a moderate dose of political uncertainty and, more recently, a strengthening rand: these are the challenges facing South African miners. Despite these shackles and increasing competition from other African nations for investment dollars, South Africa remains one of the premier mining addresses in the world, and that’s not likely to change.
Chirundu BFS powers talks
June 22 - 28, 2009
AFRICAN Energy Resources (AFR) is talking to a number of parties interested in becoming strategic partners/investors and the uranium junior expects to complete a raising within the next couple of months ahead of a potential December completion of a bankable feasibility study for its 70%-held Chirundu project in Zambia.
Gold majors flag rising interest in Burkina
June 22 - 28, 2009
JUNE 15: AUSTRALIAN juniors Ampella Mining and Gryphon Minerals are among the Burkina Faso gold explorers that won’t be begging for majors to fund exploration programs over the next 12 months. But said majors are circling, waiting for under-sized targets to mature, which they appear increasingly likely to do.
DRC support to be tested
June 1 - 7, 2009
IGNORE much of the marketing and rhetoric routinely mouthed to the media by promoters of the Democratic Republic of Congo. That’s because the mining world is perhaps about to get a very tangible indication as to just how miners really perceive the DRC.
Entry a test for game Mantra
May 4 - 10, 2009
MANTRA Resources is another uranium stock absolutely flying at the moment with shares in the Tanzanian explorer up more than five-fold since last November. Good grades and growth potential have impressed analysts and investors alike, and while part of the company flagship project is located in Tanzania’s Selous Game Park, management claim there is no cause for concern.
Avocet adds African ounces
May 4 - 10, 2009
AVOCET Mining has strayed from its South-East Asian base to Burkina Faso to secure another 120,000 ounces per annum for its production portfolio. The move has also bulked up resources and exploration potential, but it is questionable whether the company should be playing so far from home when its own backyard is need of some serious TLC.
Gryphon aims to double again
April 27 - May 3, 2009
STEVE Parsons the managing director of Gryphon Minerals can’t say too much about the potential of the company’s Banfora gold project beyond the 820,000oz resource currently outlined. But Parsons the geologist is clearly enthused about what lies ahead.
Tiger tale will need to be good
April 20 - 26, 2009
AS if being a copper mine developer in the Democratic Republic of Congo wasn’t already a tough enough sell to investors, life appears to have got a little harder for the Australian and Canadian-listed Tiger Resources.
Perseus story still hard to read
April 20 - 26, 2009
THE Perseus Mining story continues to evolve, with analysts seemingly very positive on the company and its West African projects. That’s not surprising given how well its Ayanfuri project stacks up on every metric in the analyst armoury, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the company is as unambiguously compelling as the likes of Warwick Grigor have been suggesting.
Miners embrace Unity
April 6 - 12, 2009
MARCH 30: AIM-listed Mwana Africa’s revelation last week that it planned to re-open its Freda Rebecca gold mine in Zimbabwe as a direct result of shifting government policy has sent cautious waves of optimism through the international mining industry, which may dare to hope that this historical mining address may soon be open for business once again.
Equinox closes on new dawn
March 16 - 22, 2009
OTHERS have concerns but Equinox remains confident its cashflow will be enough for it to deal with an approximate $US185 million debt repayment due at the end of September. Well … at least as confident as the company’s previous guidance given late last year.
A sparkling deal
March 16 - 22, 2009
A RECENT toll-treatment deal with major diamond group Debswana has put more distance between AIM-listed Firestone Diamonds and a junior diamond sector struggling to come to terms with the general market’s lack of appetite for risky diamond plays.
One thing leading to another
March 8 - 14, 2009
DISCOVERY Metals’ Boseto copper project in Botswana sits patiently amid the timeless Kalahari copper belt, waiting for world markets to sort themselves out. It could potentially be a long wait, though the point should also be made that if this relatively attractive deposit can’t attract funding, little else will either.
Smokey almost in the clear
February 23 - March 1, 2009
NEW platinum producer Platinum Australia looks to be travelling in the right direction at its commissioning Smokey Hills project in South Africa, and is expecting completion of a bankable feasibility for a proposed second operation, Kalplats, within the next few months.
Indaba standouts
February 16 - 22, 2009
ANGLOGOLD Ashanti, Centamin Egypt, Red Back Mining and Randgold Resources were the standout companies at the Indaba Conference in Cape Town earlier this month, according to RBC Capital Markets.
Red Back, not red metal
February 9 - 15, 2009
GOING to one of the copper heartlands of the world but hearing more positive noises about the yellow metal and yellowcake then the red metal shows the funk copper is in at the moment.
Not prepared to lie still
February 2 - 8, 2009
THERE will be no curling up in the foetal position in a darkened room by those still left at Zambezi Resources despite the sudden downturn that’s just about totally wiped out the company. Quite the contrary in fact. An aggressive new expansionary phase is on the cards.
Fortunes turn for copper miner
January 26 - February 1, 2009
THERE are few acts as reassuring in these uncertain times as a director reaching into his wallet and pulling out nearly $C200,000 to buy a significant swag of shares in his own company.
Early promise in Ghana
December 15 - 21, 2008
JULIE West’s allure continues to grow for owner Castle Minerals with the explorer intending to examine the Ghana gold prospect’s deeper potential next month with step out drilling ahead of a resource estimate.
Bigger Boseto
December 8 - 14, 2008
SEVERAL people with past and present associations with the Boseto (formerly Maun) copper project in Botswana suggest Discovery Metals is barely scratching the surface, with its current development plan, of what is likely to be a major copper producing province in future.
Straits to Madagascar
December 1 - 7, 2008
NOV 24: FORGET Mongolia, Botswana, Mozambique and Australia. Instead think Madagascar. For it’s that low profile country off the east coast of Africa that will deliver the best next generation of thermal coal projects.
A fair go for Burkina Faso
November 10 - 16, 2008
COULD it be that the only thing holding back development of one of the last seriously under-explored gold districts in the world has been a fear of the unknown? It seems incredible for an industry that has merrily embarked on exploration and development in places like the Congo and the Far East but there is no other explanation for Burkina Faso’s all-too-brief exploration history.
China’s DRC power grows
October 13 - 19, 2008
CHINA is now as embedded in the sociopolitical strata of the Democratic Republic of Congo as the diamonds are in its soil. It’s a strange relationship, compared to those that have gone before, a new paradigm, and – depending who you talk to here – exploitative and viciously balanced in favour of the Chinese, or a welcome new approach to assuring the forward progress this country so desperately needs.
Moydow’s kimberlite count at four
September 8 - 14, 2008
MOYDOW chief executive Brian Kiernan has a simple choice phrase to sum up all the latest developments with his company. “There’s a lot of stuff going on, mainly on the Dala project in Angola”, he says, succinctly. That, in a nutshell, is it.
Julie West sitting pretty
August 18 - 24, 2008
NICE results, shame about the market. A catchcry no doubt for a few companies of late, and Castle Minerals is definitely one. The Ghana gold explorer has enjoyed promising success at two projects in the past couple of months, but with buyers on strike, it seems you could just about discover a new mine at the moment and investors would turn their faces away.
De Beers' final denouement?
August 11 - 17, 2008
MANY years ago, when I was working at the Financial Times, there was a file on a colleague’s desk that grew fatter by the week. “What’s that?” I asked one day. “That’s my pension. One day I’m going to write a book about De Beers,” he explained. “It’s like the Mafia, only worse. Either the book will make a fortune or they'll pay me a lot not to publish.”
Anvil's hardens Dikilushi focus
August 11 - 17, 2008
A DISAPPOINTING quarter for Anvil Mining but in the grand scheme of things it’s seen as little more than a minor blip in the company’s journey toward development of a significant, low cost copper business.
Not so Faso (Part II)
August 11 - 17, 2008
AN INVESTMENT bank report calling into question the prospectivity of Burkina Faso has been rubbished by a technically-strong company eyeing its own exploration acreage in the West African country.
Oklo targets Mali phosphate
August 11 - 17, 2008
MOROCCO may have two-thirds of the world’s phosphate reserves but Ross Brown figures there is a lot of sand between the vast fertiliser-mineral deposits and needy farmers along the Niger River in Mali. Hence the head of uranium and now phosphate explorer Oklo Uranium sees an opportunity to reinvigorate phosphate mining in Mali’s north.
Quick mining start is best Discovery path
July 28 - August 3, 2008
DISCOVERY Metals changed its name and has now done the same with its major project in Botswana. It also changed its managing director earlier this year and, make no mistake, while the company finds itself in the middle of what is shaping as another rich patch of copper country in Africa, the new boss is there to run a serious mining company rather than just being a successful explorer.
Anvil strengthened by Gertler support
July 14 - 20, 2008
PROOF of Anvil Mining’s bona fides have been delivered in spades with a stunning $C296.6 million raising last week amid the turmoil of world equity markets.
Lumwana powers up ... and down
July 7 - 13, 2008
NEAR enough is good enough for Credit Suisse as far as Equinox Minerals and its Lumwana copper project in Zambia is concerned. The company “remains one of our outstanding buys in resources globally” as it gears up for production, albeit a little late.
Not so Faso
July 7 - 13, 2008
BE WARY of those that speak in glowing terms about the gold potential of Burkina Faso.
Moatize shapes as company maker
April 28 - May 4, 2008
SPOT the odd one out: Escondida copper, Pilbara iron ore, Carajas iron ore, Queensland Bowen Basin coking coal, Mozambique’s Moatize coking coal region. Naturally if you picked Moatize then of course you are right – at least in this decade.
Congo miner looks for a new beat
April 21 - 27, 2008
ANVIL Mining has proved itself a superb operator in the mining business. In the 1990s it sniffed a development opportunity in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and just over ten years later it had some $US300 million in the bank to prove the opportunity was tangible. Where to now for the copper miner on the road to 100,000 tonnes of annual DRC copper production in 2010?
Exploration delivers more value
April 7 - 13, 2008
MID-TIER companies working in West Africa can get a greater return on shareholders’ funds from exploration than through acquisitions in the region, according to a London analyst.
Get set for more West African action
March 24 - 30, 2008
FURTHER corporate action in West Africa could be triggered by Lihir Gold’s announced takeout of Equigold, with Gold Fields one of the majors that’s been actively canvassing opportunities in the region over the past six months. Juniors such as Perseus Mining and Gryphon Minerals could be the sorts to figure in the thoughts of those with M&A on their mind.
Blind find a wake-up call
March 24 - 30, 2008
CANADIAN analysts have been impressed by a site visit to Perseus Mining’s flagship Ayanfuri gold project in Ghana, describing it as on the verge of being a world class discovery and noting the important implications of a recent exploration breakthrough made by the Australian-based junior.
Drilling for a takeover
March 10 - 16, 2008
XEMPLAR Energy is sitting on what could prove to be one of the largest uranium deposits in the world with exceptional development potential, yet the Canadian explorer would prefer not to become a miner.
Sub-Sahara prepares for Koka feasibility
March 3 - 9, 2008
SUB-SAHARA Resources is ready to launch a funding drive, and thereafter a feasibility study on a new gold project in Eritrea, after coming up with a one-million-ounce resource at Koka in the country’s north.
Proof is in the drilling
March 3 - 9, 2008
WHAT a tease Ghana can be for Castle Minerals and other explorers, with its “cracker” gold in soil anomalies that prove less satisfying when drilled. Still, Castle has an efficient and relatively cheap assessment procedure in place, and given its prospects are on the famed Ashanti gold belt, it’s giving itself every chance of ultimately nailing a good one.
Congo line changes direction
February 25 - March 2, 2008
ANVIL Mining believes the involvement of experienced multi-lateral institutions such as the World Bank would be a positive development in the current review of mining rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Paladin to power on
February 11 - 17, 2008
NEW uranium producer Paladin Energy could expand its mainstay Langer Heinrich operation in Namibia to annual output of six million pounds by early next decade at a cost of $US100 million.
Williams ejects finance monkey
February 4 - 10, 2008
MINERAL Deposits will be hoping for some market traction after a finalising a debt package with three banks for development of its Sabodala gold project in Senegal, while elsewhere in the former French colony it remains on the lookout for buyers of its planned ilmenite production from the Grande Cote zircon project.
Record year for DRC copper miner
January 21 - 27, 2008
SUCCESSFUL copper miner Anvil Mining expects to produce more than 55,000 tonnes of copper and 1.3 million ounces of silver in 2008 from its three Democratic Republic of Congo operations following a record 2007 performance that saw more than 47,000t of copper produced.
Syama not far from Orezone spotlight
October 29 - November 4, 2007
RESOLUTE Mining shareholders and management may well have been licking their lips a few weeks back as fellow West African gold company Orezone forked out $US200 million for the 65%-stake it didn’t already own in the undeveloped Essakane gold project in Burkina Faso.
DRC to get $5B China loan
September 24 - 30, 2007
CHINA is to receive mining concessions and infrastructure toll revenue in return for $US5 billion in loans to the Democratic Republic of Congo, $US3 billion of which is expected to be used to fund major infrastructure projects such as a railway linking DRC’s southern mining heartland to the port of Matadi on the Atlantic coast, it has been reported.
Bannerman to grind down numbers
September 17 - 23, 2007
USE OF a high-pressure grinding roll comminution circuit instead of conventional SAG and ball milling could save Bannerman Resources Ltd up to 10% of the cost of its proposed $US400 million Goanikontes uranium project in Namibia, a scoping study has indicated.
Destination Africa
September 10 - 16, 2007
A LAND of seemingly unending promise – though one previously described as capital-hostile – has become a magnet for Australian mineral explorers and miners. Last week an investment conference in Perth, Western Australia, heard about a fresh wave of development projects which highlighted the prospects-to-permits transition gathering speed in Africa.
Centamin eyes 500,000ozpa
August 20 - 26, 2007
QUITE how long Centamin Egypt remains an independent company is the stuff of crystal balls, but if the line peddled by the majors, mid-tiers and juniors alike in the gold sector is more than just spin, then it seems likely it won’t be indefinitely.
More Ashanti action possible
August 20 - 26, 2007
THE southern end of the famed Ashanti gold belt could be the backdrop to some corporate action with Golden Star Resources and the Macquarie Bank-backed Adamus Resources among those potentially in the mix.
Lumwana uranium importance grows
July 30 - August 5, 2007
TALK about timing! Not only is Equinox Minerals busy developing a large copper mine in what is an unparalleled price environment for the red metal, it’s got an advanced uranium project on its hands that will be at the forefront of the supply response to the quite staggering uranium era underway.
World-class Terramin
July 23 - 29, 2007
FORMAL scoping is about to begin on what is emerging as a world-class zinc project in Algeria, with recent drilling at Terramin Australia’s mainstay Tala Hamza deposit indicating the potential for a mining operation that could ultimately yield up to seven million tonnes of ore annually.
Mines raise Guinea stakes
July 16 - 22, 2007
CONTINUING social unrest, political tensions and evident threats posed to foreign-company employees are among the serious risks confronting proponents of multi-billion-dollar mining projects in Guinea, according to a leading independent London-based business risk consultancy.
Analysts happy with Lumwana progress
July 2 - 8, 2007
EQUINOX Minerals Ltd is slightly behind schedule in concluding offtake arrangements for Lumwana copper concentrates but is close to an announcement, according to one of the analysts who recently returned from a site visit. Another says the company’s new $US45 million of contingency funding could come in handy.
Lumwana profits within sight
May 28 - June 3, 2007
BIG TIME earnings are just around the corner for Equinox Minerals Ltd – now mining at Lumwana in Zambia’s north-west – as it maintains a construction schedule aimed at getting one of the world’s major new copper operations into production by the second quarter of next year.
Senegal stocks could rise
April 16 - 22, 2007
A MARKET re-rating could be in the wind for Mineral Deposits Ltd as financing is finalised and construction accelerates at the multi-million ounce Sabodala gold project in the West African country of Senegal.
Nikanor costs climb
April 2 - 8, 2007
MAJOR new copper contender Nikanor plc has announced a significant cost blowout and the failure to reach financial agreement with Chinese parties that were to back its 250,000 tonne per annum copper cathode project based on redevelopment of the KOV mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Despite the double whammy, the company maintains the economics of the project remain “highly attractive”.
Strategies face early test
March 26 - April 1, 2007
GUNFIRE in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital of Kinshasa over the past few days will undoubtedly cause some consternation for the business development strategists at Xstrata and Rio Tinto, both of whom have recently signalled interest in the copper rich country that has been back into vogue of late following democratic elections and the successes achieved by the likes of First Quantum Minerals Ltd and Anvil Mining NL.
Under Egyptian sands
March 26 - April 1, 2007
FIVE of the world’s top 10 gold miners have visited its Sukari gold project over the past 12 months, while its maiden North American roadshow reportedly attracted about $C300 million in subscriptions for equity. It appears the gold world is unquestionably starting to sit up and take notice of Centamin Egypt Ltd.
Bogoso bugs ready for work
March 19 - 25, 2007
THE world’s biggest gold BIOX plant is now in the commissioning phase in Ghana, with owner Golden Star Resources Ltd aiming to produce 280,000 ounces at the Bogoso project after spending $US167 million on the bio-oxidation expansion.
Competition fuels investment heat
February 22 - 28, 2007
THE THREAT of Chinese entities being given greater access to mineral resources in some African countries at the expense of non-Chinese companies may be looming on the horizon as a sovereign risk issue, but it is not currently deterring a wave of fresh exploration and early project assessment investment all over Africa, according to the head of a leading mining consulting group.
Anvil turns up the heat
February 15 - 21, 2007
ANVIL Mining NL chief executive Bill Turner is currently showing investors the fruits of the company’s labours in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with the latest initiative being the $US13 million installation of an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) and associated infrastructure at the 80% Kulu copper project. Capital payback is expected inside 12 months.
The languid leopard
February 1 - 7, 2007
SHOULD they laugh or cry? That’s the question Nkwe Platinum Ltd shareholders will be asking themselves after a bittersweet Christmas-New Year period that brought into sharp relief the key challenge of operating in the new South Africa.
Cashed up
January 25 - 31, 2007
EMERGING nickel company Albidon Ltd looks to be well and truly bankrolled in the event further “business development opportunities” emerge even after it spends around $US65 million over the next 12-18 months building its new Munali nickel mine in Zambia.
Ferrochrome major digs in
December 14 - 20, 2006
CHINESE investment in Africa’s minerals has been welcomed with open arms by some of the continent’s impoverished nations. But not by ferrochrome producers in South Africa, the regional economic power and a country with increasing trade ties with China. Led by Xstrata, they are now mounting a more vigorous push to limit China’s supplies of chrome ore and exert greater control over pricing of the vital end-product.
Rough but ready
December 7 - 13, 2006
RHETORIC is a particularly cheap commodity in a trouble-wracked place like the Democratic Republic of Congo. Hence merely claiming the country is on the verge of being a key exploration and mining destination is unlikely to cause the enthusiasm of those holding mining and exploration purse strings to overflow. However, progress on a raft of significant projects over the next 12-18 months could seriously shift attitudes.
Irons in the fire
November 30 - December 6, 2006
MINING executives looking for a case study on how to operate successfully in difficult jurisdictions need go no further than Australian-Canadian company Anvil Mining Ltd. The copper miner is more than half way through completing its third development in five years in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and all going to plan it will reach 100,000 tonnes of annual copper capacity before the turn of the decade.