Exploration of manganese in the open at Quitota Mine, located in Quizenga commune, Municipality of Cacuso, in the north-central Malanje Province, is set to begin mid this month, with an average monthly production of 10k tonnes. A delegation from the Ministry of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, headed by the national director of Mineral Resources, André Buta Neto has assessed the preparations for the project’s start-up.
According to the head of the mine, Miguel Sérgio Teixeira, everything is being done so that the project is inaugurated on the 19th of this month. “We are carrying out work on the exploration fronts, setting up the crushing and ore extraction lines. The project will have two exploration phases, the first in the open and the second underground, with a reserve of 12 million tonnes,” he said.
He further added that, the level of manganese to be explored in the Quitota Mine ranges from 43 to 48%, and the steel companies in the country will be the main destinations for the production, before considering export. “In the first phase, manganese will be transported to the processing plant located in Luanda, via road, and afterwards by train, through the Quizenga Station, which is 15km from the mining project.
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Quitota Mine
Owned by the company MN-Kitota Exploração Mineira e Comércio Ltd, the mine was licensed in 2020, in a concession of 576 square kilometers, in the area located between the municipalities of Cacuso, Calandula, in the Province of Malanje, extending up to Samba Caju area (Cuanza Norte Province).
The mining project expects to reach around 40k tonnes of manganese by the end of this year, as part of the National Development Programme. Manganese is used in the production of special steels, due to its resistance, anti-wear and stiffness.
Teixeira also revealed that around US $15m was spent to reactivate the mine, which, from 1969 to 1974, was operated by a Dutch company.
