Regional mining hub

Description

Senegal aims to become a mining country through the implementation of a strategy for the full exploitation of mineral resources. This expected change in the socio-economic fabric of Senegal must necessarily be accompanied by the creation of a favorable ecosystem capable of meeting the future needs of players in the mining sector.

With this in mind, the Flagship Project “Regional Mining Hub” will position Senegal as the first reference center in the sub-region for mining services by attracting suppliers and operators of internationally renowned mining services.

The operationalization of this strategic ambition is structured around 3 components:

• The service hub integrating operational subcontracting including catering, basic materials, analysis laboratories;
• The logistics hub with distribution centers offering and storing consumables, spare parts, and equipment;
• The academic hub with the creation of training centers (mining technicians and engineers), specialized schools for mining operators, etc.

With the growth of the mining sector in Senegal marked by the recent discoveries of gold deposits (Mako, Makabingui, Boto and Massawa-Sofia) and phosphate (Cherif Lo/Ngakham, Begal and Kébémer) and in Africa In the West, this flagship project will provide players in the mining sector with the logistical, material and human resources necessary for their development.

This project requires the construction of a platform or “mining village” with infrastructure useful to mining operators that can be subject to the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) law. The advantages linked to the SEZ include, among other things, exemption from customs duties on equipment and raw materials, and from the payment of any income tax for a period of 50 years. This special regime will contribute to job creation and the development of local content.

The objective set in 2018 was to begin the operational phase of the project through the mobilization of private investors in the fields of logistics and services for the erection of the first mining hub in Senegal.

Likewise, it was planned to develop the study on the needs and the business plan of the project for the purpose of signing agreements with strategic partners and investors for the development and construction of the mining village.

Methods of implementation