Browsing: Mining in Kenya

The Kenyan government has revoked 1,546 licenses in the mining sector as it gradually resumes licensing, marking the end of nearly four years of a standing moratorium. Principal Secretary Elijah Mwangi, from the State Department for Mining, confirmed that the ministry has undertaken a thorough audit of all mineral rights holders to identify non-compliant rights.…

•  In Kenya, mining yields high-grade quantities of gold, copper, ilmenite and tantalum.
• Kenya is an important source of non-metallic minerals including soda ash, limestone, salt, niobium, fluorspar and fossil fuels.
• Titanium ores have for the last decade remained top mineral forex earner for Kenya.

A plan to give Kenya’s mining sector a makeover is underway, with policymakers banking on reforms that can attract investors as the country seeks to grow the revenue base.

The move comes four years since the 2019 government moratorium on the issuance of new prospecting and mining licenses. At the time, the government had not renewed licenses since 2015 when about 65 companies saw their permits revoked.

Those in operation run under a gazette notice. For companies whose permits expire, they are forced to seek special clearance from the ministry. The freeze on issuance of new licenses was to allow for geospatial surveys to map out …

Sawa Minerals works with small-scale miners who make a huge contribution to the global minerals trade by utilising blockchain-backed smart contracts

Sawa Minerals, a tech-driven company has launched a platform that will transform the lives of many African miners.

The blockchain backed smart contracts platform has been designed in such a way that it is easy to buy ethically mined minerals from artisans and small scale miners (ASM) across Africa and the developing world in a transparent manner.

The name ‘Sawa’ is Swahili for “fine”, “all good” or “no worries”. One of the co-founders Mr Kali Angwa said they settled on the name because it captures the purpose of the platform.

Sawa Minerals is a platform where stakeholders are not worried about fraud; where buyers are assured of ethically mined, genuine minerals; where miners are assured of decent pay. The platform will be guided by the principles of fair treatment …