Poverty-stricken African nations exploited by mining companies, especially Australian uranium miners

THE SCRAMBLE FOR URANIUM IN AFRICA http://www.phantomreport.com/the-scramble-for-uranium-in-africa 19 May 14, Africa’s resources are extracted by outsiders, with benefits only reaching the involved non-African mining companies and non-African end-users of the commodity. Africa is the next frontier to meet energy needs. Oil and gas are being exploited as never before, exacerbating conflict in Darfur and Nigeria, social inequality in Angola, and environmental damage in Chad.

At the same time, renewed demand for uranium is being explored on the continent more than at any other time in history.

Yet the continent’s huge potential for renewable energy is not fully being realised. The government of Malawi granted a uranium mining licence to an Australian uranium mining company without having any legislation on the mining, handling and transportation of radioactive materials. Malawi is now home to twelve potential uranium mines.

In Niger mining companies from Australia, Canada, France and other parts of the world are scrambling for licences to explore uranium in a country which is already the world’s sixth producer of uranium. In the Central African Republic (CAR) there is a scramble amongst Chinese, American and French companies which are all interested in mining the Bakouma region.

In Tanzania the Australian Omega Corp obtained the Mkuju River concessions through its subsidiary, Mantra Resources. Other Australian juniors are represented in Tanzania, including Sabre Resources, Goldstream Mining, Uranex and Deep Yellow.

In Zambia, the Australian Energy Ventures through its subsidiary Africa Energy Resources started drilling the Kariba Valley in May 2008. Another Australian enterprise, Albion Ltd,, is also undertaking exploration.

In Nigeria, representatives of the South Korean Institute for Geoscience and Mineral Resources visited Nigeria in late 2005 to discuss exploration and co-operation. In Namibia uranium has been mined since 1976 at Rössing, which has the world’s largest open cast excavation. Closure has been staved off by the rise in the price of uranium. A second Australian-owned mine, Langer Heinrich, has come into operation inside the fragile Namib-Naukluft National Park and run by the same company which has invested in uranium at Kayelekera in Malawi. Other mines are scheduled to come on stream in the near future, at Venecia and Trekkopje, and exploration continues in a dozen other areas. Recently a moratorium has been placed on granting further exploration licences. Uranium is found in arid areas where water and energy are scarce. Namibia is also considering nuclear energy, and already has overtures from Russia and South Africa to offer reactors. Read More at Wise International

May 20, 2014 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | AFRICA, AUSTRALIA, politics international, Uranium

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