Africa-Press – Tanzania. Ore Corp, a gold mining firm, has handed over a 45m/- newly constructed Ngoma Police Station in Sengerema, Mwanza to the district authorities while waiting for a mining licence.
Sengerema District Administrative Secretary (DAS) Allan Mhina presided over the handing over ceremony on Wednesday on behalf of Mwanza Regional Commissioner, John Mongella.
The station was the latest in a number of community projects undertaken and offered by OreCorp since taking over management of Nyanzaga gold project in 2015.
OreCorp’s Managing Director and CEO Matt Yates said considering the fact that the company is yet to start mining, the involvement and commitment to local community projects demonstrates the firm’s intention to work hand and hand with locals to share the benefits from Nyanzaga.
“Whilst the mining industry got some bad press recently, we want to demonstrate that OreCorp is different,” Mr Yates said.
The firm has been waiting for its special mining licence to develop the 670bn/- Nyanzaga Gold Mine south of Ngoma in Sengerema district since last year.
According to OreCorp, once the licence is issued Nyanzaga will be the first large scale gold mine to be built in the country in over a decade and the first ever large scale mine in the Sengerema district, Mwanza region.
OreCorp has so far paid over 10bn/- in taxes to the government and completed approximately 30 community enhancing projects before even putting a shovel in the ground.
The previous projects include renovation and construction of numerous classrooms at schools within the district, the supply of school desks, iron sheets, cement, water wells and 11,000 tree seedlings to local communities, deepening of Sotta dam and the upgrading of local roads.
The Police Station was approved by the Sengerema District Commissioner mid-last year following consultation between OreCorp and the villages of Sotta, Nyabila, the Igalula Ward and the Regional Police Commissioner.
The construction work of the police station commenced last September and was fully funded and managed by OreCorp as part of its community enhancement schemes in accordance with its approved Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) plan.
OreCorp’s Tanzanian General Manager Damien Valente said the idea to build the police station came from the local people who never had a police station in the area.
“We are pleased to work in partnership with our hosts to enhance their communities and ensure the natural resources bestowed upon them benefit everyone,” Mr Valente said.
Mr Mhina, on behalf of Mwanza RC Mongella, expressed his gratitude for OreCorp’s contribution, noting that Ngoma Police Station will become the area’s main police station serving the surrounding communities.
Nyanzaga mine is located in the Lake Victoria goldfields. The deposit hosts an estimated three million ounces of gold predominantly at a depth below the reach of local artisanal miners, placing at OreCorp at an advantageous position as local miners cannot rich it.
Nyanzaga is a significant new gold project and will produce approximately 200,000 ounces (six tonnes) of gold per annum and will cost an estimated 670bn/- to build.
An Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) has been undertaken and a certificate has been granted by the National Environment Management Council ( NEMC).
The mine project will also deliver additional benefits to the region including education, health facilities and infrastructure such as the Ngoma Police Station through its generous community enhancement scheme.
