President of Angola approves exploration of Niobium

The President of the Republic of Angola João Lourenço approved the exploration of Niobium, in the Province of Huíla, whose prospecting rights are attributed to NIOBONGA-Comércio Geral, which invests in this sector with an investment of 136.6 million dollars.
The Presidential Order justifies the approval of the mining investment contract for the exploration of Niobium to the “value of the project in the diversification of the economy and the creation of jobs”.
The area for exploration and evaluation is located in the municipality of Quilengues, in the province of Huíla and is 443.53 square kilometers. It is expected that exploration operations carried out there will contribute to the “implementation of technical and social infrastructures in the region”.
As for the environmental aspect, the document says that "the promoter of the project must constitute a legal reserve of 5 percent of the invested capital destined for the closure of the mine and environmental replacement in compliance with the provisions of the Mine Code."

Dias Francisco, correspondent of Rough&Polished in Angola