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    Madagascar: Reich an Rohstoffen; Erste Explorer & Produzenten investieren - 500 Beiträge pro Seite

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      schrieb am 19.03.07 17:45:37
      Beitrag Nr. 1 ()
      Ein intressanter Artikel aus dem aktuellen "The Economist", deswegen aber auch auf Englisch.

      New frontiers
      Mar 15th 2007 | FORT DAUPHIN AND ILAKAKA
      From The Economist print edition

      Madagascar is becoming an attractive mining destination

      THE sleepy town of Fort Dauphin in southern Madagascar is trying to catch its breath. Lying in the least developed corner of one of the poorest countries in Africa, Fort Dauphin, also known as Tolagnaro, is accessible only by aircraft or by way of battered dirt roads. But four-wheel-drive vehicles have recently become common and locals congregate in the main square to watch cranes and lorries at work in the tiny harbour below. Hundreds of people have moved in from abroad and from other parts of the country. The town's few hotels are full and food prices and rents have doubled in the past year. Why? Because Rio Tinto, a global mining giant, has started work on a big mine just outside the town.

      The project has been mulled over since the 1980s, but it was only in 2005 that rising commodity prices prompted Rio Tinto to invest $650m in what is thought to be the richest deposit of ilmenite in the world. The mine is expected to produce 10% of world supply of the mineral, which contains titanium oxide, used to make pigments and sunscreen, among other things. But first the company, in a joint venture with the government, which is keen to attract foreign investment after decades of isolation, must build roads, a new port and power and water infrastructure. Some of this should benefit Fort Dauphin, which lacks running water and reliable electricity. The mining giant has also been helping to educate locals about HIV/AIDS.

      Others are taking a keen interest in Madagascar, too. A consortium headed by Canada's Dynatec is ploughing $2.5 billion into a nickel and cobalt mine; South Africa's Exxaro hopes to develop another ilmenite deposit; Alcan is said to be looking at bauxite deposits near Fort Dauphin; several small firms are hunting for platinum, gold and uranium; and Exxon Mobil and others are looking for oil, both onshore and off, though the prospects are unclear.

      Madagascar also sits on rich gem veins, which have prompted impoverished locals to try to grab a piece of the action. Jean-Noël Andrianasolo is one of them. In 1998 he left his wife and children and headed south to look for sapphires. He was not alone. The rush has now turned an isolated savannah bordering a national park into a settlement known as Ilakaka. Along the main road, gem dealers from Sri Lanka and Thailand have set up shops and a few brick buildings have appeared among the wooden shacks.

      Mr Andrianasolo struck it rich, but most did not. At the local market, mud-caked informal miners with calloused hands peddle stones in aspirin bottles or plastic bags to local dealers barely better off themselves. A few miles away, miners dig precarious 10-metre-deep pits in the sandy ground to get to the sapphires. Sometimes they are buried alive.

      The mineral bonanza could do much for the 18.6m people of Madagascar, where the average income is $290 a year. Mining and oil, which make up less than 4% of GDP today, could account for three times that by 2011. But some fear mining will lead to corruption and political tension, and damage the country's unique ecosystem. President Marc Ravalomanana, a business tycoon who was re-elected in December, seems determined to avoid these pitfalls. Murky allocations of exploration permits have given way to a more open system, and new laws have created more favourable and predictable investment conditions. Gem smuggling has declined, and a world-class gemology and gem-cutting school has been set up to boost the value of exports. The government hopes to join a global initiative promoting transparency in extractive industries before large-scale production starts.

      Martin Nicoll of WWF, an environmental group, reckons that mining is not necessarily incompatible with preserving the environment. In 2003 the government decided to triple the area of protected forests and big Western mining firms are keen to be seen doing their bit. In fact, slash-and-burn farming, not mining, is responsible for most of the damage. As Madagascar does its best to shake off years of ill-management and Marxist policy, the real test is yet to come: for all its good intentions, will the government be able to stand upright when the money starts flowing?
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      schrieb am 19.03.07 18:05:08
      Beitrag Nr. 2 ()
      Dann wirf in dem Zusammenhang doch mal einen Blick auf Panafrican Mining (P2A). Könnte interessant für dich sein. :)


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