The Minister of Energy, Mines and Quarries (MEMC), Simon-Pierre BOUSSIM visited the mining companies of Orezone Bomboré and SOMISA in the Central Plateau region on Saturday 25 March 2023. The Minister’s visit was mainly aimed at encouraging these mines, which are continuing their operations despite the difficult security situation.
The mining sector, like many others, has been severely tested by the insecurity that Burkina Faso has been experiencing for several years. Unfortunately, this situation has led to the closure of several gold mining companies in the country. Among those that continue their activities are Orezone Bomboré and the Sanbrado Mining Company (SOMISA). “These companies, like so many others, have remained resilient, so we had to come by to congratulate and encourage them,” said Simon-Pierre BOUSSIM.
Accompanied by his closest collaborators and the authorities of the Central Plateau region, Simon-Pierre BOUSSIM undertook this visit to the two mining companies. The Orezone Bomboré SA mine, the first to receive the MEMC, has a particularity which is the implementation of the local content, the Minister in charge of Mines pointed out. “Nearly 100% of the operators of this mine are Burkinabè. This is because the mining operator is a national, which is a first in our country and is therefore to be welcomed,” he said. This mining operator is the Sila Equipement Company et BTP SA (SEB). According to Etienne TIENDREBEOGO, interim project manager of this company, “SEB works with a workforce of 618 employees. It has trained more than 207 people in various mining jobs and 188 people have been employed directly by SEB”.
After encouraging the actors of the mining company Orézone Bomboré SA, the MEMC set course for the SOMISA mine. This company is based in Sambrado, a village located approximately 110 km south-east of Ouagadougou, in the rural commune of Boudry, Ganzourgou province. Having experienced a management crisis since 8 March 2023, SOMISA’s ore exploitation activities have resumed thanks to the intervention of the Burkinabe authorities. The Minister took the opportunity of this visit to urge the company’s managers to work towards cohesion with its employees and the local population. In addition to the open-pit mine, SOMISA operates an underground mine more than 400 metres deep. The Minister visited the underground mine to see the effectiveness of the safety measures taken in its operation. “It was important for us to ensure that the mine has taken measures to avoid a disaster like the one we experienced at the Perkoa zinc mining site,” he said.
The key event of the mine visit was the gold pouring that Minister BOUSSIM piloted in the presence of SOMISA’s top managers. The Minister in charge of Mines ended the day’s visit by signing the gold book of the Sambrado Mining Company.
Communication and Press Relations Department
