“Substantial deposits” of coltan, a mineral used in gadgets, have been discovered in Kenya, marking one of the "most significant milestone" in the country's mining sector, Kenya's State Department For Mining stated on Thursday.
This discovery positions Kenya as an emerging giant in the field of global mining, the department said.
Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Mining and Blue Economy Salim Mvurya stated that sufficient coltan deposits have been discovered in six counties.
"It is now official. We have coltan deposits in the country, and we want to see how we can inspire investors," Mvurya was quoted as saying.
He further stated that more workers would be hired to assist in the exploration of the minerals, the local media reported.
So far, 970 mineral deposits have been identified across the country, the secretary reportedly said, adding that mining operations would begin soon.
Mvurya assured that laboratories would be decentralized to counties to expedite mineral testing.
"We shall be setting up laboratories in eight regions for testing samples and declaring the quality of minerals found in a particular area," he said.
Moreover, the CS vowed to root out illegal miners who had infiltrated the sector.
The governor of Embu, one of the counties where coltan was found, expressed her happiness that the county would receive 20% of the mineral revenues and the people would receive 10%, according to reports.
In late November, another African country, Angola, also took a new step in the development of its mining industry. In the case of the southern African country, however, it is not coltan that is being mined, but diamonds. The Luele project is expected to process about 4 million tons of ore per year, with a gradual increase to 12 million tons in a few years, as noted by the outlet.