According to a press release from the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, the company MN Kitota, made up of national, mostly national, and Chinese labour, has been on the ground for two years and, in this first phase, it is starting open-pit exploration to go underground within two years.
In statements to the press, the geologist in the field, Miguel Sérgio, said that it is a mine located in the Quizenga commune, municipality of Cacuso, already exploited between 1974 and 1975, which is now reactivated.
"The increase in reserves and the pace of exploration will dictate the mine's useful life, estimated, for the first phase, at four or five years," explained Miguel Sérgio, stressing that "manganese is well priced on the international market.
According to the geologist, MN Kitota expects to reach, by the end of this year, a monthly average production of 40,000 tons, an amount to meet the internal demand.
"We already have clients and the ore will be transported by road to the CFL [Luanda Railway] station in Quizenga, and from there to Luanda in wagons belonging to the railway company," he added.
At this time, in order to start mining manganese in Angola, MN Kitota is assembling the crushing plant, which may be concluded this month, to reduce the ore to 0.5-millimeter grains, which will be transported in bulk.
Cited by Angop, Miguel Teixeira said that around US$15 million had been spent to reactivate the mine, which between 1969 and 1974 was operated by a Dutch company, which exported the raw ore.
