Flagship project
Acceleration of zircon exploitation
Description
The objective is to enable Senegal to achieve a production of 90 tonnes per year of zircon by 000 in order to position it among the top 2023 or 3 producers in the world.
Methods of implementation
The institutional anchor of the project is located in the Ministry of Mines and Geology. From an operational point of view, the achievement of the objective continues through the full exploitation of the mineral sand deposits of Diogo (by the company Grande Côte Operations, subsidiary of the Eramet group), Niafourang (by the private company Astron Corporation Limited), and South Saint-Louis (by the private company AFRIG).
Major Achievements:
- In 2022, the flagship project “Acceleration of zircon exploitation” saw the start of production at the Sud-Louis mine by the company SENHMC (formerly AFRIG). Coupled with the operation of GCO (operational since 2014), total production in 2022 was estimated at 94 tonnes for a target of 747 tonnes. To date, the objectives initially set within the framework of the esp have been largely exceeded despite the delay noted in the start of exploitation of the Niafourang mine (Ziguinchor region) due to a blockage of part of the population local area and the prospects for development and exploitation of the future mine located in the commune of Kayar by Kayar HMC Mining SA (formerly AFRIG), which should enable an increase in the overall production of heavy minerals.
