Quoted in a statement from Endiama, to which VerAngola had access, the head of the Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas portfolio reported that "construction work on Angola's first gold refinery is progressing well, in accordance with the revised schedule, with around 70 percent of physical execution", indicating the second half of this year for its inauguration.
"At this moment, we are almost 70 percent done. We have most of the equipment already here on site and we are trying to make up for lost time, but our perspective now is that the project will be completed this year," said the minister, in statements last Friday, after an inspection visit to the infrastructure.
At the time, he ruled out the possibility of the refinery being inaugurated in the first half of the year: "No, it won't happen in the first half of 2025. We are still dependent on some variables, so (...) the best approximation we can make is to predict that the work will be completed this year, towards the end of the year".
"We had to change the schedule, optimize the schedule, and we hope that now we can meet the new schedule and achieve the new goal (...) which is to have the refinery ready before the end of the year," he added.
According to Endiama, the infrastructure "could guarantee, in the first phase, a total of 35 jobs for young Angolans trained in various specialties".
The project manager for the country's first gold refinery, Kimba Baptista, reported that he received "concrete" instructions from the government to "accelerate the completion of the works on the main building, and recalled that there are now technicians trained to ensure the normal operation of the project in question".
On the occasion, "he also highlighted the need for the country to increase production levels, and that, upon completion, the refinery will have a nominal capacity for 50 kilograms of gold", reads the statement.
According to the note, the construction of the aforementioned refinery "is being financed by Endiama-E.P, with more than five million dollars, and is part of the strategy of diversifying its economic base".
