Africa-Press – Angola. Exploration of “Rare Earths” in the municipality of Longonjo, province of Huambo, could begin in 2026, said this Monday, the executive director of the administration of the Australian mining company Pensana, Tim George.
The official, who was speaking to the press after a meeting with the vice-governor for the Political, Social and Economic sector of the province of Huambo, Angelino Elavoco, said that exploration will begin as soon as the prospecting work underway since 2015 is completed, with construction of support infrastructure beginning this year.
The “Rare Earth” exploration project, part of the “Ozango Mineral” program, precisely based on the identification of neodymium and praseodymium, was designed for 20 years in the municipality of Longonjo, in the western corridors of this region of the Central Highlands of Angola.
Tim George assured that the project foresees the creation of approximately one thousand and 90 direct jobs, 650 of which during the infrastructure construction phase and the other 440 during the actual exploration period, to contribute to local economic development.
He recalled that exploration will be accompanied by the implementation of various social responsibility programs for the well-being of the population, promoting sustainable agriculture and professional training for young people in the mining sector.
He emphasized that the mineral reserve project will be able to rely on local labor, resulting from the professionalization of young people from the province of Huambo, sponsored by the Ozango Mineral project, to enhance jobs in the municipality of Longonjo, in a sustainable development program for mineralization.
With an initial budget of approximately 200 million US dollars, the investors also intend to participate in boosting economic development programs, concentrated in the Lobito Corridor and showcase the mineral potential of the province of Huambo.
With this project, he added, businesspeople focused on the exploration program for this mineral will be able to participate in plans to improve social infrastructure in the province of Huambo, related to access roads, to stimulate the efficient circulation of people and goods.
For his part, the vice-governor for the Political, Social and Economic sector of the province of Huambo, Angelino Elavoco, said that the “Rare Earths” exploration project will be another concrete opportunity for the diversification of the economy and, at the same time, , to create new jobs.
To this end, he reaffirmed that the Government of the province of Huambo will provide unconditional support for the success of the project in the municipality of Longonjo, to better attract other potential national and international investors with a view to improving the population’s living conditions.
Angelino Elavoco highlighted that the province of Huambo intends to contribute to the increase of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by promoting this rare earth exploration project in an advanced stage of execution.
At this point, the “Ozango Mineral” project begins in the coming months with the implementation of infrastructure construction in the municipality of Longonjo, the program for which was defined for one year.
According to studies, unlike other metals, such as iron, found in large deposits and easily extracted, these elements are widely dispersed, but are more abundant than gold, present in 0.00000031 percent of every 100g of crust.
These are substances found in relatively low concentrations, which need to be excavated and processed with chemical reagents, generating a heavy environmental impact.
The consumption of these minerals worldwide reaches 150 thousand tons/year.
There are 17 types of “rare earth” metals, but only six types are best known: neodymium, lanthanum, praseodymium, gadolinium, samarium and cerium.
China is the main producer and market for this mineral.
For More News And Analysis About Angola Follow Africa-Press
