huge gold reserves

The National Institute of Mines (INAMI), the regulatory body for mining in Mozambique, has denied reports earlier this week that the northern province of Cabo Delgado may contain more gold than the reserves of the precious metal found in South Africa. The company Mwiriti, one of Mozambique’s main producers of precious stones, had claimed the discovery of enormous quantities of gold in its concession area in Nairoto, in the Cabo Delgado district of Montepuez. Its general manager, Azghar Faqhr, claimed the Nairoto gold was exceptionally pure (with a degree of purity between 86 and 91 per cent).

But a note from INAMI poured cold water on these claims. There was certainly gold prospection under way in Cabo Delgado, it said, in a note sent to the media, “but the studies made to date are not conclusive about the total reserves of this resource”. So the information from Mwiriti, published in some of the press, “does not correspond to reality”, it added. Furthermore, INAMI pointed out, the responsibility for announcing the discovery of mineral resources in Mozambique lies with the government, and not with companies.