The resurgence of manganese mining

The execution of the US$250M Manganese Mining Project in Matthew’s Ridge, North West District, by Reunion Manganese Inc. is another major boost to the booming local mining industry.
This timely venture will see a resurgence of the Matthew’s Ridge community and will bring a host of benefits to residents in the form of jobs, infrastructure and commerce.
Matthew’s Ridge is a once bustling community which saw many people from the coast going there to work during the period when manganese mining was at its greatest height in between the 1960s and 1980s.
In fact, there was such an upsurge of economic and commercial activities in the community that a former Prime Minister once touted the idea of making it into a township, even moving the capital city there.
However, with the rapid decline in the global demand of manganese starting in the 1980s, the mining in the community folded up which brought virtually all the economic and commercial activities to a halt.
This new mining venture should see a return of the community to its former glory and this is most welcome.
According to the Canadian company’s Chief Operations Officer, Joachim Bayah, once fully operational, the project will result in improved road linkages, a revamping of the rail link and the barge canal to facilitate the operations there.
Alluding to specific infrastructural enhancements which will be undertaken, he said the company will be assisting to repair the airstrip which has deteriorated over time, due to the increased air traffic in the area.
As to additional advantages of this venture, he said, “This development in the North West will open up great possibilities, such as the potential expansion of agriculture, aquaculture, mining and quarrying, reforestation, fabrication and industrial development.”
He said the exploration activities by the company created over 300 jobs last year and an additional 300 jobs will be created this year, and he projected that during construction of the facilities, close to 1,000 persons will be needed, while 500 will be required for the operations.
The timing of this investment is obviously a strategic one as the current global demand for manganese is on the upsurge.
According to Global Industry Analysts Inc. (GIA), the manganese market remained buoyant in the previous decade driven by robust expansion in the global infrastructure sector that encouraged large-scale production of steel, the key manganese end-user.
However, the recent turmoil in the global economy significantly impacted on the manganese market and saw plummeting of the market during 2008 and 2009. Bleak infrastructure scenario and a huge drop in steel manufacturing activities across the world resulted in a sharp fall in market revenues during the period.
Further, a weak metal sector compounded the market woes. The troubled times forced several manufacturers to hold back or curtail mining and processing operations and focus on implementing some cost-cutting measures.
Nevertheless, the market exhibited recovery in 2010 with the health of the world economy limping back to normalcy. Demand for manganese is poised to grow at a healthy pace fuelled by increasing demand for steel in the infrastructure sector, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
However, according to GIA, the global market for manganese is forecast to exceed 21.9 million tonnes by the year 2015. The key factor driving market growth includes increased demand for manganese from steel and batteries end-use sectors in the developing Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East markets.
Therefore,  this manganese venture has come at a most opportune time and it will not only boost the local mining industry, but the national economy as well.

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