Menzel Elektromotoren has designed and manufactured three powerful 6600 V squirrel cage motors as integral components for pit fans. The customer specified cylindrical motor casings as compact as possible. The greatest challenge was to implement the required rated power of 1700 kW in cylindrical casings. Menzel therefore designed fin-cooled motors (cooling type IC 411) in frame size 630, an extremely unusual design for motors this large. The manufacture is complex but the result is optimal for the constricted installation conditions. In order to save additional space, all connection cables are routed out of the motors and the terminal boxes are mounted outside the fans. Since the driven fan wheels are mounted directly on the motor shafts, the motor bearing must compensate additional high loads: radial loads up to 20700 N and axial loads up to 27000 N. For the required bearing service life of 100,000 hours, Menzel implemented a special rolling bearing setup. In addition, the motors have a second shaft end for a holding brake. The three-phase squirrel cage motors are designed for operation on a frequency converter (duty type S9) with speed changes and reversal of the rotation direction. This allows the pit fans not only to ventilate the mine, but also to extract dangerous firedamp if necessary.

Surface-cooled motors from Menzel: https://www.menzel-motors.com/slip-ring-motor/ic411/

The Nigerian government says it has agreed to pay $496 million to settle a multibillion dollar claim by Global Steel Holdings Limited over the control of Ajaokuta Steel Company.

Attorney-General Abubakar Malami said the federal government will pay the company $496 million instead of $5.258 billion demanded by the firm, to settle the dispute. The deal was reached under the alternative dispute resolution framework of the International Chamber of Commerce, said a statement by Mr Malami’s spokesperson, Umar Gwandu.

The dispute followed the federal government’s revocation in 2008 of an agreement that handed control of the steel works and the National Iron Ore Mining Company to Global Steel Holdings Limited, an Indian firm. In cancelling the deal, the Umar Yarádua administration said the terms of the concession at the time were not favourable to the country.

The steel company, located in Kogi State, was conceived to serve as the pillar of Nigeria’s industrialisation. It was built by the Soviets between 1979 and the mid-1990s but has never produced steel as the project was never completed. It was also mismanaged.

The government said the seeds of the disputes can be traced to five contracts entered between 1999 and 2007 that gave complete control over the Nigerian steel space to one company group, Global Steel group.

The justice ministry said the decision to terminate the contracts by a new administration in 2008 was taken contrary to legal advice by the Federal Ministry of Justice, which cited the termination cost in the form of damages. It said had the government waited for 55 days, the pact would have terminated lawfully and the government would have collected more than $26 million from Global Steel.

“This was because the firm appeared unable to pay the first tranche for the Ajaokuta shares before the first anniversary of the agreement (25 May 2008),” the statement said.

“This failure would have given Nigeria a right to over $26m as liquidated damages under cl.12 of the Ajaokuta Share Purchase Agreement.

“Global steel, in consequence, took the federal government to the International Chamber of Commerce, International Court of Arbitration, Paris, commencing arbitration in 2008. Although the Federal Government negotiated a settlement in May 2013, the previous administration failed to implement its settlement agreement,” the statement said.

In May 2020, Global Steel threatened a resumption of the arbitration and announced an anticipated claim in damages of over $10-14 billion against Nigeria.

The government said it agreed to pay over $400 million to settle the case once and for all after engaging PwCNigeria to do a comprehensive review to ensure taxpayers are protected.

With this development, the statement said President Muhammadu Buhari has now “rescued the steel industry from interminable and complex disputes as well as saving the taxpayer from humongous damages.”

“The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice grappled with the inherited problem by adopting a blueprint of seven principles for the cost-effective resolution of contractual disputes wherever they occur. They are the use of institutional mediation, choice of FGN counsel, the use of financial advisers with reputational capital, the importance of not discouraging foreign investment, fiscal responsibility, transparency, and the recognition that joined-up government produces superior outcomes,” Mr Gwandu said.

South African based vibrating screen and feeder original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Kwatani reports that orders for its equipment have surged in recent months to record levels, with orders coming not only from South Africa and the southern African region but also overseas markets.

“The current level of business is the best we’ve ever seen since the company was founded nearly 50 years ago and every month now is turning out to be a record month,” says Jan Schoepflin, General Manager Sales & Service at Kwatani. “The growth is quite astonishing – in fact, 50 to 60 %, year on year.”

He adds that Kwatani is currently producing around 60 machines a month. “To keep pace with demand, we’ve rented an additional 3 000 m² of factory space to complement the 17 000 m² we already have,” he says. “Being part of Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions, which in turn is a business area within the Sandvik Group, we’ve also been able to outsource some production to other Sandvik factories overseas, including Sandvik’s Indian factory.”

One of Kwatani’s current orders – won in the face of intense opposition – involves the supply of over 70 screens and associated equipment to a large copper mining operation in Central Asia. This is the largest order in Kwatani’s history and probably the largest single screen order ever to be won by a screen manufacturer based in Africa. “We’re expecting another large order from this region shortly – it won’t be quite as big but will still be very substantial,” says Schoepflin.

Kwatani is also busy with two big contracts in southern Africa, one for a major platinum mine in South Africa and the other for a zinc project in the DRC. Both projects are in the construction phase.

According to Schoepflin, the surge in sales reflects not only more buoyant conditions within the global mining industry but also Kwatani’s membership of the Sandvik Group.

“We became part of Sandvik at the end of 2021 and this has opened many doors to us,” he says. “We’ve always been big in Africa and were, in fact, already ranked as the biggest screen manufacturer on the continent prior to being acquired by Sandvik but were less strong in certain other parts of the world. Being part of Sandvik has given us improved access to many markets, particularly in South America where Sandvik is the dominant supplier of mining equipment.”

Schoepflin also points to the quality of Kwatani’s products as another reason for the skyrocketing demand for its equipment. “We produce bullet-proof products that work reliably and efficiently and that have been proven in Africa’s mining areas, which are probably the toughest in the world in terms of the demands placed on machines,” he says. “Equipment that works well in Africa will perform anywhere.”

He adds that the fact that Kwatani’s equipment is manufactured locally is another major plus for the company. “Our manufacturing costs here in South Africa are low by global standards and our exports also benefit from the fact that South Africa’s currency, the rand, is very weak. The result is that our machines are very competitively priced.”

Kwatani forms part of Sandvik’s crushing and screening division within Sandvik Rock Processing Solutions. This now includes not only Kwatani and Sandvik’s own screening business but also the recently acquired mining related business of Schenck Process Group, making Sandvik the world’s biggest supplier by far of vibrating screens and related equipment.

As miners continue to work long-hours in consecutive shifts, today’s heavy mining equipment – for both underground and overground operations – is in operation 24/7 to meet tight work schedules.

Operating in a high-risk environment; with dust, prolonged vibration and extended use, all elevating risk of overheating, these heavy-duty mining vehicles are inevitably prone to fire risk.

Fredrik Rosén, business manager, Dafo Vehicle Fire Protection, explores the fire risks associated with heavy equipment at mines, especially as vehicles and technologies evolve, and explains how mine operators can minimise downtime, while maximising safety.

What’s influencing fire risks?

Specific risks will be determined by individual risk assessments, which look at a mine’s operations as a whole and how vehicles operate in a particular environment. The majority of heavy-duty vehicles and equipment, though, are at risk from several common fire hazards in mines.

Overheating

Due to the challenging operating environment, mine vehicles inevitably gather dust and dirt. Undoubtedly, keeping the engine compartment clean reduces risks, but doing so might be difficult in some industries, like mining, where operations generate a lot of dust. Unchecked, though, this could increase the risk of overheating.

Overheating on its own isn’t necessarily a sign of a potential fire. But due to the extensive operation of mining vehicles, prolonged vibration can increase the friction between different sections of the vehicle, resulting in increased wear and tear, as well as an increased risk of overheating.

If this wear and tear leads to loose cables, sparks or damage to the injection pipe, for example, combined with overheating, it can result in dangerous electrical or spray fires that are violent and quickly spread.

Electrification

In an effort to be more ecologically friendly, several mine operations are transitioning from conventional combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs).

Although EVs are less likely to overheat, their lithium-ion batteries do present a unique fire risk. The four factors listed below are the primary reasons for battery fires:

• Heat exposure
• Mechanical impacts, such as collisions or mechanical failures
• Overcharging or undercharging
• Protection flaws, where particles can enter battery cells.

Each of these has the potential to result in internal short circuits, putting the battery at a high risk of thermal runaway, which is characterised by a quick rise in temperature and the subsequent risk of fire, release of toxic gases and possibly even enormous explosions.

Thermal runaway is typically unnoticed by traditional fire detection systems until temperatures start to increase, by which time they’ve frequently passed the point of no return. As a result, there’s a need for a unique detection and suppression solution that recognises the release of toxic gases before temperatures rise.

Automation

Accelerated by the COVID pandemic, mining automation has reached an all-time high. Remotely operated autonomous vehicles can now be used to boost uptime and reduce worker health risks.

However, when there are fewer persons present or nearby when mining vehicles are in use, it may be more challenging to spot fire threats. In this situation, an automated detection and suppression system is necessary to enhance response times, reduce the chance of downtime and avoid vehicle damage.

How can mine operators reduce the risks?

Recognise the particular risks connected to your mine first. As technology develops, keep re-evaluating your risk assessment map, as well as your systems for fire detection and suppression.

Whether a vehicle is electric, diesel, automatic or manual, there are distinct risks associated with each type that must be carefully addressed.

To effectively manage the relevant threats, maximise safety and save downtime, you should consider the whole mining operation and develop a customised solution.

For more information, visit Dafo Vehicle Fire Protection.

A professor of Metallurgical and  Minerals Engineering at the Federal University of Technology Akure FUTA, John Ade Ajayi ,has lamented that Nigeria has been unable to utilize its  abundant mineral resources to create sustainable wealth and drive real  development that impact the people. Ade Ajayi made the submission while delivering the 146th Inaugural lecture of the Institution with the title: “Rich Nation, Poor People! The king of Metals as Paradigm: Quo Vadis Nigeria?” on the 10th of January 2023.

He said Nigeria is blessed with a lot of non-ferrous minerals including copper ores capable of contributing immensely to the Gross Domestic Product, GDP of the country. He however lamented that in spite of the abundant mineral resources there is hardly any serious actual mining capable of making Nigeria an industrialized nation. According to him,” There is no single functional and sustainable mine, mill or metal extraction plant in Nigeria. The National Iron Ore Mining Company, Itakpe, Mine and Mill are not really operational for now. The only tin smelting plant in Nigeria, Makeri Smelting Company, Jos has gone into the dustbin of history. What is prevalent is artisanal mining and ‘processing’ and quarrying. “He described the operations of artisanal miners as, “Unscientific, untechnical, uneconomical, unsafe, unhealthy and environmentally unfriendly.”

Professor Ade Ajayi   said there was an urgent need for government to lead the drive to chart a new direction for sustainable mineral resources development that will engender economic prosperity in Nigeria through correct policies. He said the economic development of any nation depends considerably on its level of industrial development and this in turn depends invariably on the level of mineral exploration and manufacturing activities in the national economy. He said concerted effort must thus be taken to revive industries and set factories working through minerals and metals value chain in Nigeria to improve the quality of life of its people.

He said the importance of iron and steel production in the national economy like Nigeria cannot be overemphasized as it is presently recognized that a nation that controls iron and steel controls the world. To this end he recommended that a Council for the Nigerian Institution of Mining and Metallurgy (CNIMM) be put in place in accordance with international best practices to see to the sustainable production of non-ferrous metals required for the production of ferro-alloys and different types of alloys.

Ade Ajayi , Nigeria’s first professor of metallurgical and minerals engineering , said in order to be able to sustainably produce mineral and metal products for the use of the society, the Nigerian mining, minerals and metals (3M) industries should have viable linkages with academic institutions and research institutes. He said the 3M industries are to produce goods and services for the society thereby generating employment, creating wealth and engendering national economic development. The Don called for a clearly convergent point between inventors and investments in Nigeria such as science and technology parks for startups.

He recommended that FUTA as the best university of technology in Nigeria should be declared as a centre of excellence in Mining engineering, mineral processing technology and extractive metallurgical engineering. According to him, there is the need to transform the Nigerian universities from the present intellectual amnesia to intellectual revolution.

Ade Ajayi advised that competence enhancement and training should become the hallmark of those driving the country’s policies saying, “The funds used for junketing and seeking international investors can be used for training and research. For national interest, we must reorder our priorities.”

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Adenike Oladiji, in her address said Professor Ade Ajayi has been a consistent productive scholar, a metallurgical engineering expert and an educational manager per excellence. She said Professor Ajayi had contributed significantly to knowledge in his chosen area of Metallurgical and minerals engineering.

South Deep, the mechanised Gold Fields gold mine in western Gauteng, is putting remote loading to the test.

“We’re trialling remote loading from surface, where we have a person sitting in the control room that’s operating a loader 3 km under the ground beneath him. It’s very exciting to see that kind of technology being rolled out,” Gold Fields CEO Nick Holland said in his response on the strategy Gold Fields was adopting to bring South Deep up to speed with the company’s mines in Australia, Ghana and Peru.

The person in the control room on surface, Holland explained, can operate the loader continuously, without the loss of hours during shift changes, for example.

Responding during a conference call on the performance of the Johannesburg- and New York-listed company during the three months to March 31, Holland said remote loading from surface was just one of a multiplicity of the productivity-enhancing steps being taken at South Deep, which produced 61 000 oz at an all-in sustaining cost (AISC) of $1 227/oz.

Its performance was ahead of expectations and it generated meaningful cashflow, but it still had some way to go to outdo the group’s other operations. In Australia, Gold Fields mines produced 237 000 oz at an AISC of $876/oz. In Ghana, its mines produced 194 000 oz at an AISC of $1 105/oz. In Peru, Cerro Corona produced 62 000 oz at an AISC of $714 a gold equivalent ounce.

Last year, South Deep’s productivity rose by nearly a third and measures are now being taken to advance bulk efficiency.

“We have a strategy of looking at the whole value chain,” said Holland.

“Improving the productivity at South Deep is not just one issue because you have to open up the orebody, you have to mine it, you have to support it, you have to backfill it.

“It’s a matter of looking at how that whole mining cycle can be improved. So, we’re looking at every element and at the same time, we want to make sure that quality is maximised.

“It’s all very well moving more tonnes, but you’ve got to get the right tonnes, in the right area. So, there are many initiatives under way. I think we’re making good progress,” he said.

“As you’ve seen over last year, despite the fact that we took a third of the people out, towards the end of the year we were getting the same kind of output.

So, already last year, we saw about a 30% improvement in productivity. All the work we’re doing now on innovation technology is promising,” Holland said.

A control room on surface and sensors on underground vehicles in an area making up 20% of production are providing real-time information.

“That’s going to give us a lot of information, which we’re going to use to improve the overall cycle time of getting people to the face quicker.

“The other exciting thing is as we move more of our mining into the new mine areas that we’ve developed under our ownership over the past ten years, they’ve been properly set up so that we can do bulk, non-selective mining. In those new mine areas, we have infrastructure right there. We have bays where we can park equipment and check them quickly. We have ore passes in close proximity. We have a much better set-up than what we inherited. As we gradually move into the new mine area, we’ll find that productivity will improve as well.

“I’m pleased to say as well we’ve seen an improvement in availability of equipment, particularly drill rigs, where mean-time-before-failure has improved. We’re getting the rigs for a longer period of time and it’s taking less time to repair. We’re now rolling that out on to our trucks and our loaders.

“The team is working on multiple areas. I’m very excited about the developments and I’m sure they are going to have a positive impact on productivity and costs going forward,” said Holland

MECHANISED SKILLS

Gold Fields is sponsoring mining studies at the University of the Witwatersrand and working on the establishment of a bespoke training facility to satisfy its mechanised mining needs.

“Skills are an issue in our business particularly as mechanised mining is the future of mining in South Africa. Conventional mining, I think, is dying. Hand-held conventional mining, I think, has got really five, seven years, tops. I wouldn’t be too bold going beyond five to seven years. The youngsters just don’t want to do that stuff and mechanised mining obviously means there’s going to be a huge amount of demand for the right skills.

“We’ve realised we have to train up. We’ve realised that there aren’t enough skills in the industry and so one of the key strategies we’ve been working on is to have our own bespoke training facility where we can actually roll out mechanised miners. We continue to sponsor Wits University to make sure that we’re pushing out at least 100 mining graduates a year. I’m involved in that directly and that’s the kind of strategy, but it takes time, it’s not a one-year story,” said Holland.

“We’ve been able to withstand the early onslaught of the coronavirus pandemic reasonably well. The teams across the globe have reacted, putting people first in health and safety and we’ll continue to do that.

“At the same time, we’re very focused on ensuring that the business is sustained to make sure that when we come through this, we don’t spend 2021 or beyond getting back to where we should have been.

We’ve got the liquidity to do it. We’ve got the balance sheet to do it and bear in mind, 80% of our production is continuing with minimal interruption. That puts us in a very strong position. We look forward to giving you an update and let’s hope that the next time we talk, the world is in a better position to deal with this pandemic,” he added.

South Africa’s Petra Diamonds (LON:PDL) has swayed bondholders to receiving an interest payment due Friday to a later date, which would allow it to borrow R400 million ($21m) in new debt, a key move to keep the miner afloat.

Petra, which has been hit by a triple whammy of weak market conditions, power emergencies in the home country and now the coronavirus pandemic, said on Friday that it has been able to secure a R1 billion revolving credit facility (RCF), with conditions.

The provisions set by Absa, Nedbank and Rand Merchant Bank, demand a temporary halt to the repayment of a black economic empowerment (BEE) scheme. They have also asked for a suspension of this year’s first installment of a semi-annual 7.25% interest payment on a $650 million convertible loan note.

Failing to pay interest after a 30-day grace period allowed (May 30) could see bondholders force the redemption of their bonds with interest. Such a move could only happen if it has the support of 25% of the company’s bondholders.

Investment banks are increasingly reluctant to extend credit to diamond producers, as inventory is not being sold and defaults are possible, analysts have warned.

“We are concerned about oversupply of rough diamonds following the reopening of economies as a lot of inventory could potentially be flooded into the system and the market might not be able to absorb all of it, resulting in increased pricing pressure,” Citi said in a note Friday.

Petra Diamonds has tried to turn around its fortunes after piling up debt to expand its flagship Cullinan mine in South Africa, where the world’s largest-ever diamond was found in 1905. The renowned open-pit mine produces about a quarter of the world’s gem-quality diamonds, and the vast majority of blue stones.

Financial crunch

The company’s share price collapsed to a record low amid falling diamond prices that forced it to write down the value of its mines in September by almost $250 million.

The financial struggles prompted the miner to launch a restructuring that ended in November with a number of organizational changes, including dropping the role of chief operating officer.

The restructuring saw the company’s founder and chairman for 23 years, Adonis Pouroulis, step down in March.

Around the same time, Petra had to declare force majeure at its Williamson diamond mine in Tanzania and scaled-down operations to a minimum level in South Africa.

The decision, the company said, was based not only on poor diamond prices, but also the effect the global coronavirus lockdown has had on sales.

Petra said on Friday that salaries for its chief executive and finance director have been cut by one-third from April to June, while its non-executive directors will see 25% reduction in their pay.

It also said that its South African operations has ramped up to a 50% labour capacity, but noted that Williamson remained on care and maintenance.

Perseus Mining (TSX: PRU; ASX: PRU ) is building its second open-pit mine in Cote d’Ivoire and its third in West Africa, and expects to pour first gold in December despite the COVID-19 pandemic.

Once built, Yaoure will produce 215,000 oz. gold per year at all-in sustaining costs (AISCs)  of US$734 per oz. over the first five years of an initial 8.5 year mine life.

On a recent conference call, managing director and CEO Jeffrey Quartermaine said development work on the Yaoure mine, 40 km from the capital of Yamoussoukro, was 52% complete, with US$29 million spent on development in the first three months of the year. In total, Perseus has spent US$129 million on developing Yaoure, or 49% of the project’s total capex of US$265 million.

“This has been one of the bright lights for us this quarter, and we continue to make progress on all fronts at Yaoure,” Quartermaine told analysts and investors on the call. “Our stretch target of pouring first gold by December 2020 continues to be within our capacity, provided we don’t have any unusual delays coming out of the virus later in the year.”

Fabrication of the SAG and Ball mills is complete and the equipment was delivered to site ahead of schedule in February, while other procured items have been moving efficiently through the port of Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire and deliveries to the site have been taking place on a regular basis, unimpeded so far by COVID-19. It has completed 39% of its tailings storage facility, construction of the main Yaoure substation is 56% complete, and access roads are being upgraded.

“The pleasing news is that, notwithstanding COVID-19, cargoes are being efficiently cleared through the port of Abidjan and transported to site without too much delay,” he noted. “Yaoure is a very important project for Perseus and does underpin our future growth, and so we’re looking forward very much to delivering further progress on that.”

In the meantime, it continues to operate its Edikan open-pit mine in Ghana, a historic heap leach mine it brought into production in 2011, and its Sissingue open-pit mine in Cote d’Ivoire, which started production in January 2018.

 

Perseus Mining’s Yaoure development site in Cote d’Ivoire. Photo Credit: Perseus Mining

Sissingue produced 19,964 oz. gold at US$685 per oz. and AISCs of US$781 per oz. during the quarter, while Edikan produced 38,019 oz. gold at US$1,090 per oz. and AISCs of US$1,242 per ounce. (The higher costs at Edikan were mainly the result of lower recovery rates due to carbonaceous materials in the ore from one of the mine’s pits.)

Perseus is also pushing ahead with exploration and has earmarked an exploration budget for the next 12 months of US$15 million this year — the bulk of which will be spent on areas around Yaoure, where management see “enormous potential to add materially to our reserve inventory there.” The balance will be spent at its two other producing mines. “We are accelerating our efforts on exploration, not only to extend the life of our existing operations but to, hopefully, also discover our next mine. We have some interesting targets.”

While supply chains remain open in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire, the movement of local and foreign employees has been impacted by government-imposed travel restrictions, while work rosters have been extended. No cases of COVID-19 have been reported by any of the company’s employees or contractors at either of its two mines or at the Yaoure development project.

“We’re living in pretty uncertain times, and the COVID-19 pandemic is creating some serious challenges for us, but so far we’ve met these head-on, and we’re ahead of the game,” Quartermaine said on the call. “What happens from here remains to be seen, but we are confident that by remaining vigilant and being proactive, we will successfully see this crisis through.”

Quartermaine also noted that the company had offered its expat staff at Yaoure the opportunity to fly back to their countries earlier on, before the airports were closed down, but virtually all of them declined. “Almost to a man they said, ‘No way, we’re going to see this through,’” he said, while those at its operating mines also declined the offer. “Our people are there because they want to be there. By and large, the team was very determined to get through this. Now whether they have this same level of enthusiasm in another three months remains to be seen.” In the event of a medical emergency, Quartermaine added, a charter flight could be arranged.

In an email to The Northern Miner, Quartermaine explained that part of the company’s success weathering in the current public health emergency is due to the company’s seasoned management teams at each of its operations in West Africa that have successfully managed several in-country crises in recent years, including the Ebola outbreak during 2014-2016. The deadly disease provided Perseus with tested crisis management capabilities and systems that are proving useful today, he said.

 

Perseus Mining’s Edikan gold mine in Ghana. Credit: Perseus Mining.

Several of its key executives, prior to joining Perseus, had spent the Ebola crisis on the ground in Sierra Leone where infections were rife, he noted. “These guys brought a lot of first-hand knowledge and experience to the table,” he explained, “and, under my leadership, our team has designed and implemented the systems that we have deployed with success to date throughout our business.”

“They had been part of a team that operated all of the way through Ebola without losing a day of production,” Quartermaine said. “The strategy that their former employee deployed was taken and refined for our situation. This is what we refer to as our ‘Island Mode’ business model.”

Essentially, the company has divided its mine sites into three zones – green, orange and red. The green zone contains all of the equipment, activities and people required to guarantee business continuity, he explained. “Access to this zone is only possible after a period of quarantine to demonstrate that people are COVID-free,” he said. “The orange zone is a little more relaxed – this is where the actual mining takes place – and the red zone permits interface with the community.”

“On top of this, we have deployed a lot of other protocols and practices aimed at making sure our supply lines remain open and ensuring that we will be able to continue operation, even if the virus spreads into our surrounding community – which pleasingly it has not. I would like to think that we are assisting this by procuring and distributing supplies to local health centres, undertaking disinfectant spraying in villages, funding publicity programs on local radio advising people how to avoid catching and spreading the virus, etc.”

The Island Mode system has not been fully deployed at Yaoure, however, as the development site “is simply too large and involves too many people – a large proportion of whom are residents of the local area, and we simply cannot house and feed all of these people in a quarantined area even if they were willing to go in there.”

Nevertheless, Quartermaine said, the company continues to make headway at Yaoure.

“We do continue to make very good progress, however, and are on track, but we may suffer schedule disruption in the future if we are unable to bring specialist construction technicians and commissioning people to site when needed due to international and local travel restrictions. We are not at that point, and hopefully the travel restrictions will be lifted before it becomes an issue.”

Quartermaine, who joined Perseus as chief financial officer in 2010 and was appointed managing director in January 2013, also praised the governments of both Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire for acting swiftly when the dangers of the pandemic became known, noting that statistics “are remarkably low by comparison to developed countries.”

He noted that reported cases in both countries were low by comparison to many other countries. (According to the World Health Organization, Ghana had 1,671 confirmed cases and 16 deaths and Cote d’Ivoire 1,238 cases and 14 deaths as of April 30.) “Whether this is a function of low levels of testing, misdiagnosis, etc., I really don’t know,” Quartermaine said. “What is clear though is that both countries acted very promptly and very firmly as soon as the problem surfaced (which not every country in the world did, to their great regret I am sure).”

“Obviously the resources available to these countries are much lower than elsewhere, but they seem to be coping well at the moment and are getting solid support from industries such as the mining industry.”