MOSEBENZI ZWANE
The Minister has signed a cooperation agreement on mineral and upstream petroleum development with the Central African Republic
Photo by: Duane Daws
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Central African Republic (CAR) and South Africa has been entered into based on “friendship and common interests” to cooperate on mineral and upstream petroleum development.
CAR Minister of Mines, Energy and Hydrology Leopold Mboli-Fatrane earlier this month hosted his South African counterpart, Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane and the two Ministers committed to cooperating on mineral and upstream petroleum development. The MoU was signed on August 2 in Bangui, the CAR captial.
Pursuant to the meeting between Presidents Faustin-Archange Touadera and Jacob Zuma during the State visit of the CAR’s head of State to South Africa in April, Mboli-Fatrane and Zwane, reaffirmed their commitment to formalise relations to collaborate on mining and upstream petroleum development.
The MoU denotes key areas of cooperation, which include geology, exploration, mining, processing and the beneficiation of minerals; environmental management, community development and mine health and safety; and the exchange of expertise, skills development and human capacity building in the fields of exploration, mining and beneficiation, as well as upstream petroleum development.
Further, it calls for reciprocal investment promotion initiatives; cooperation between relevant entities and institutions of the two countries in exploration, mining and upstream petroleum development fields; the strengthening and harmonising of mining and upstream mineral and petroleum policies, legislation and the regulatory frameworks, consistent with the objectives of the African Union’s African Mining Vision; and reciprocal mining and upstream petroleum investment initiatives.
The Ministers expressed satisfaction with the areas of cooperation contained in the MoU and endorsed them as an apex priority.
The Ministers recognised the paucity of geological knowledge of the CAR and directed the South African State-owned Council for Geosciences to work with relevant institutions of the CAR to start with a precompetitive exploration programme, with emphasis on geological mapping and hydrogeological investigations.
Following the visit of both Ministers to the University of Bangui’s sciences faculty, they jointly acknowledged the “dire need” for institutional capacity development at the university and directed that special attention be given to the university.
The Ministers also reiterated the important role played by the institutions of learning in securing, among others, long-term and sustainable growth, the development of the mining and petroleum sectors, security and upliftment of the poorest members of community.
Moreover, the Ministers identified an important need for an inward-focused promotion of investment in mining and upstream petroleum resources. In this regard, the Ministers agreed to convene a Mining Investment Forum in Bangui within nine months from the date of signing the MoU.
The Ministers also agreed to an exchange skills programme for university students and interested personnel involving mining and upstream petroleum development.
The Ministers directed officials to develop a comprehensive implementation plan within a month, under the leadership of the respective directors-general within their departments. They further directed that the technical teams meet in Bangui before the end of September.
Mboli-Fatrane welcomed an offer by Zwane of a follow-up technical visit to be undertaken in Bangui before the end of September.