Angola announces winners of diamond, phosphate mining concessions

The Camafuca-Camazambo kimberlite                                                                                       Image credit: CityWorld

(macaubusiness.com/LUSA) - The Angolan government announced on Friday that four national and foreign companies have been chosen to confer mining rights to prospect and exploit diamonds and phosphates, leaving out the only competitor for the iron concession. The evaluation committee decided to award the phosphate concessions to Minbos Resources, Lda, of Australian origin (Cátata, Cabinda) and Cimenfort Industrial, Lda, one of the major national cement production companies and with fertilizer production activities in Brazil (Lucunga, Zaire province). In the case of the diamond concessions, the winners were Ishangol LLC, of North American origin and present in Angola for the purchase and cutting of diamonds (Camafuca-Camazambo, Lunda Norte province) and the B&A Consortium (a company of Brazilian origin, with extensive experience in the diamond industry) and Somipa (an Angolan company already operating in diamonds) for the Tchitengo concession, which covers the provinces of Lunda Norte and Lunda Sul. The only competitor that showed interest in the iron concession did not reach the minimum required standard, according to the evaluation committee, so it will have to wait for a new tender.