BURKINA-MINES
Burkina: the sale of the Inata and Tambao mines offers security guarantees and financial benefits, Minister
Ouagadougou, March 15, 2023 (AIB)-The transfer of the Inata and Tambao mines to AFRO TURK will enable the State to acquire strategic means of surveillance and the fight against terrorism, and to collect taxes and dividends, said the Minister in charge of Mines, Simon-Pierre Boussim.
“The transfer of these mines is done against payment and not free of charge as we have heard here and there. And better, it was done in a condition that allows the State to acquire strategic means of surveillance and combat. Beyond all these elements, we can congratulate ourselves on being able to trust a partner who can help us in securing this area”, indicated the Minister in charge of Mines, Simon-Pierre Boussim, in a published interview. Friday by the public daily Sidwaya.
Mr. Boussim recalled that the Inata and Tambao mines have not been operating for more than 5 years due to the difficult security situation in the country.
For him, “nothing proves that these mines are not exploited today by the enemies of the nation who are strengthening themselves in terms of resources to come and attack our defense and security forces”.
“By selling the assets of these two mines to buyers who have a certain capacity, the government benefits from the assurance that these mines will resume service. As a result, the company that takes them over will get involved in securing these areas,” explained the Minister.
Because, according to Simon-Pierre, the resumption of these mines will allow the State to have additional resources.
The Minister in charge of Mines maintains that the transfer of State assets at the level of the manganese mine of Tambao and gold of Inata was not done in contradiction with the law.
“Indeed, according to our reference document, the mining code, the State can, either by competitive bidding or by direct agreement, sell mining assets. This provision of the code is not ordinary, because it takes into account the strategic nature of mining assets: these Strategic assets should therefore serve the strategic interests of the State”, he says.
He continued that the object of the contract which relates to the transfer of the mining assets of the State was done in accordance with paragraph 2 of article 14 of the mining code where the contracts of transfer are valid until the granting of titles which will be done according to the normal procedure of common law.
“It should also be noted that the decree on the management of mining titles provides in its first article that the State can dispose of these assets according to the principle of first come, first served”, specified Mr. Boussim.
Concerning the projected resources that the State can reap with this transfer, there is the sale by direct agreement as well as the royalties, the taxes and royalties, the dividends.
The Minister confided that the Afro Turk society presents the necessary guarantees to successfully carry out the partnership with the Burkinabè State and that it is not a Togolese society as people claim.
“We have received a commitment from AFRO TURK to pool efforts with the government to secure these two sites. Also, we have no reason to doubt the good faith of our partner,” he said.
The minister in charge of mines reassured that the transfer contracts provide for the construction of a military base in Tambao and Inata with the material and financial assistance of the partner.
Simon-Pierre Boussim insisted that it is a good thing for nationals to take shares in the companies in which the Burkinabè government has just granted its confidence for the exploitation of the gold mines of Inata and the manganese of Tambao.
Burkina Information Agency
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