At audience with PM: JINDAL boss pledges to construct Cameroon’s first-ever mineral analysis laboratory.

The laboratory will help in giving analysis of ore mined from the Ngovayang iron ore project as well as from other Cameroonian projects.

He made the announcement during an audience with the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Dr Chief Joseph Dion Ngute, at the Star Building. The audience held Wednesday June 19.

The industrialist, who is also a Member of Parliament in his home country, was in Cameroon to take stock of the progress of work towards the effective launch of the Ngovayang iron ore project in Bipindi, Ocean Division of the South Region. 

During the audience, the JINDAL Steel & Power chairman expressed his determination to strengthen the company’s partnership with Cameroon by supporting the country in its policy of industrialisation. 

The Indian business mogul said his industrial consortium, specialised in the steel, mining and infrastructure sectors, has set up a construction programme designed to develop the sector in Cameroon. 

As part of the programme, he stated that his company will erect a complete analysis laboratory in Melombo, Bipindi Subdivision of the Ocean Division to support the government's industrialisation policy. 

According to the JINDAL chairman, this laboratory, which will become the very first analysis laboratory to be built in Cameroon, will not only be used to analyse the ore mined by Cameroon Mining Action, CAMINA S.A, but also that of all Cameroonian mining companies. CAMINA is a subsidiary of the JINDAL Steel and Power and is charged with operating the Ngovayang iron ore project. 

In addition, his company will construct a complete mineral key at the Kribi Port comprising a dump, a storage area and an iron drying facility to facilitate ore exports. 

The Indian investor equally announced the construction of a road of 80 km linking the town of Eseka to the project site at Melombo village. He announced the commencement of studies in no distant time with the construction work to follow up soon afterwards. 

Project to benefit population

According to the JSP Group Chairman, the population in the surrounding communities of the projects will be highly considered in their implementation.

He said this will be done through the execution of social projects like electrification of the communities. He also announced that all the trees cut down and identified during the start-up phase of the Ngovayang project will be replanted. 

Project to start end of 2024

Another major fallout of the Star Building audience was the announcement by the JINDAL boss of the technical launch of the Ngovayang project by the end of 2024 with the first deposits for exportation envisaged in 2025. 

This announcement was made in the presence of the Interim Minister of Mines, Industry and Technological Development, Prof Fuh Calistus Gentry. 

Prior to the audience at the Prime Minister’s Office, the interim mines minister had, on June 18, received the Indian investor in his office.

During the meeting, it was discussed that to ensure the effective start of the Ngovayang iron project within the shortest possible timeframe, a number of identified challenges need to be addressed within the nearest future.

These include building the project's internal infrastructure, road infrastructure to access the site, construction of the open-pit mine and ore processing unit.

It also requires updating the project feasibility study and the provision of 100 MW of energy to power the plant.

JINDAL also plans to build a 130 km-long mini pipeline for the transportation of iron ore in liquid form from the site to the Kribi Port. 

Going by him, this means of transportation was chosen due to its cost-efficiency than iron ore transportation by road, which involves substantial variable costs such as machine maintenance and fuel supply.

Project potential

It is worth noting that the Ngovayang iron ore project is currently based on a resource estimated at 800 million tonnes of ore, with proven reserves of 300 million tonnes of iron, and is due to be certified by SRK before the end of June 2024. 

The ore grades are also said to be in the range of 25 and 40%, with an estimated average iron content of 35%.

To date, the project has generated USD 800 million in direct foreign investment in Cameroon and will generate 2,000 direct jobs during the construction phase and 1,000 direct jobs during the operational phase. The indirect jobs expected from this priority project for the Cameroon government are estimated at 20,000.

According to Prof Fuh Calistus, the new means of iron ore transportation via slurry pipeline will undoubtedly add to Cameroon's technological heritage.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3148 of Monday June 24, 2024