M’Banza Congo, Angola, 19 Dec – Angola’s Zaire province has estimated phosphate reserves of 200 million tons, located in the Lucunga basin, Tomoboco municipality, the national director of Mines, Kavungo Marlon said Friday in M’Banza Congo.

Speaking to Angolan news agency Angop, Marlon said that the reserves, which had been prospected a few years ago, could put Zaire province on the phosphate and phosphoric acid fertiliser map as of 2014.

The national director for Mines gave assurances that conditions were being created to allow a reassessment of the reserves as of April 2012, which would be followed by construction of ore treatment plants, the complex for phosphoric acid production and the and the mining port.

Marlon also said that in 2012 prospecting for potassium on a large scale, as well as for bituminous rocks would begin, granite production would continue and production of tiles would start, in Musserra, Nzeto municipality.

According to Marlon, during his visit to the region he found that the local authorities were interested in seeing prospecting or bauxite and gold reserves, which are believed to exist in M’banza Congo. (macauhub)