BY IBRAHIM SAHR KOMBA (232news.com)
Sierra Rutile Limited and Mano Mining Company sing over one hundred million dollars mining operating contract
The historic event took place in Sierra Rutile Conference in Moyamba on Wednesday 17 May.
CEO of Sierra Rutile Limited, Theuns De Bruyn explained that they have been doing in-source mining but they decided to outs-sourced it a year ago and it was given to an international company.
He noted that this is the first time they have awarded such a contract to an Indigenous and 100% owned Sierra Leonean company in the history of their operation in Rutile.
He urged Mano Mining Company to ensure safety without injuring workers or destroying the community in which they operate, pointing out that they will need support of the government in order to prove to the shareholders that Sierra Leone is a safe jurisdiction for business as they embarked on their new projects in Sembehun.
He said that the project will give competitive value to Mano Mining within and outside Sierra Leone.
The Mining Manager of Sierra Rutile Kenelm Walter Hughes said that Sierra Rutile contracted 50% of its core body to Mano Mining company, explaining that the bid for the contract was competitive as Mano Mining competed with four other companies and they came out successfully.
“In awarding the contract, we looked at the experience in terms of equipment and capability which deals with safety. We hope that Mano Mining will meet its target year by year till the three years end,” he alluded.
He added that part of the evaluation has to do with local content and 99% of what Mano Mining submitted dealt with local content.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Mano Mining, Ibrahim Mansaray said that the mining agreement between them and Sierra Rutile Limited will create at least 250 direct jobs for a start.
“We have been mining in Sierra Leone for about 60 to 70 years, this the first time a mining company has given such a huge responsibility to a Sierra Leonean-owned company,” he stated.
He maintained that the decision taken by Sierra Rutile is not new as they (Sierra Rutile Limited) have employed many Sierra Leoneans in their top management to the position of a Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
That it is no surprise that Sierra Rutile has been taking the lead when it comes to embracing Local Content, adding that the decision taken by the company to award them the contract shows that from the level of a very big job to a small one, they have considered Sierra Leoneans.
He affirmed that they will ensure that Sierra Leoneans are trained in order to capacitate them with the required skills to gain employment in the company, stressing that they will give more preference to women.
Chairman Mano Group of Companies, Tamba Nyandebo explained that they will be extracting and transporting product to the plant for processing disclosing that the contract is over One Hundred and Fifty Million Dollars.
He continued that the company has been in the mining sector for over 6 yrs.
He also said that this will help to boost the economy and create job opportunities in Sierra Leone.
Speaking to the journalist, Pastor Francis Rogers chairman of the Community Development Agreement said that the agreement is unprecedented in the history of mining activities in his community.
He assured both Sierra Rutile Limited and Mano Mining of his community’s commitment to maintaining a peaceful atmosphere, disclosing that the company has been helping his community and many students have been awarded scholarships.
He said that the community people are pleased with the said agreement because it will promote local content policy in the mining sector.
He thanked Sierra Rutile Limited for awarding the contract to a local company, noting that this will promote peace among the community people.
