The Angolan government will declare Reserve Zones the regions of the country with the highest occurrence of mineral deposits and establish criteria for access to these zones, the Minister of Geology and Mines announced Friday in Luanda.

With this measure still under preparation, said Minister Francisco Queiroz, the government intends to improve the profitability of these zones, guarantee environmental sustainability and allow investors to fully apply their technical capacity.

“When it is implemented, this strategy will allow mining centers to be created in the Mining Reserve Zones, which will boost the growth of a mining industrial chain,” added the minister, quoted by the Angolan news agency.

In taking stock of the activities carried out by the ministry, Francisco Queiroz reported that 40 mining titles had been issued, of which 11 were mining and one exploration.

The Ministry of Geology and Mines has also issued 24 permits for the extraction of aggregates for civil construction, with global investment in the sector amounting to 106 million dollars in 2016.

The minister also said that diamond production this year is expected to be around 8.9 million carats, with exports to provide revenue of 1082 million dollars. (Macauhub)