- Centramin had invested around 74 billion FCFA
- It was looking for financial partners to start mining the gold.
- The mine was burnt down by gold panners in November 2022
- The project was abandoned on 15 August 2022.
- It was approved by the Council of Ministers on 16 March 2023.
- The government may look for another promoter to take over the mine
On Friday 1 September 2023 in Batiè (Noumbiel province, South-West region), Konkera SA, a subsidiary of Centamin PLC, handed over its Batié-Ouest site to the State of Burkina Faso. The ceremony was presided over by the Minister of Energy, Mines and Quarries, Simon Pierrre Boussim.
This handshake between the Minister, Simon Pierre Boussim, and the senior geologist of the Centmin group, Seydou Ouédrago, marks the official handover of the Batié large-scale industrial mining licence to the State. After visiting the Batié-Ouest site, which was burnt down in November 2022, the minister in charge of mines and his cabinet, accompanied by regional, provincial and municipal authorities, were able to see what was left of the site.
PH: DR
According to the Centmin group’s senior geologist, Seydou Ouédrago, the mine was carrying out optimisation work with a view to increasing resources. The aim was to find financial partners in order to start mining gold. To date, 124 million dollars (around 74 billion FCFA) has already been invested. “Centamin believes that it cannot continue to finance the project alone. We gave up on the permit because, at a certain point, there were factors that prevented work from progressing, notably the security issue”, he said.
The project was abandoned on 15 August 2022 following 03 waivers to start construction work. In accordance with the recommendations of the National Mining Commission (Commission nationale des mines – CNM) held on 14 February 2023, this waiver was accepted by the Council of Ministers on 16 March 2023.
Minister Simon Pierre Boussim said that the mine had relinquished its licence because of difficulties in completing construction and starting production, and that the State had taken back its licence in accordance with the provisions of the Mining Code. “We are here to look at what is left on the ground and what belongs to the State. On the basis of the data we have, we are going to look for another promoter who can take over the mine so that it can benefit Batié, the region and the nation as a whole,” he said.
The Minister of Energy, Mines and Quarries took the opportunity to call for appeasement. For him, seeing this site after the acts of vandalism does no credit to the people of Burkina Faso. “Whether it’s private or public property, it belongs to everyone and to the nation. When things go wrong, the first point of contact is always the State. You always have to turn to the administration and raise concerns so that the mining company can be approached for a better understanding”.
As a reminder, the Konkera SA gold mine licence was granted by decree n°2015-227/PRES-TRANS/PMS/MME/MEF/MERH of 5 March 2015, by which the State granted a licence to operate a large industrial mine. The licence covers an area of 64.34 Km2, with a lifespan of 20 years with the possibility of renewal for consecutive periods of 5 years until the deposits within the perimeter are exhausted. The licence, located 450 km from Ouagadougou, was previously held by Ampella Mining, which sold it to the Centramin group. The plan was to build an open-pit mine, a processing plant, a maintenance unit, a power station, internal roads and a dam with a capacity of 1.5 million cubic metres.
Marcus Kouaman
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