Tambao
Encyclopedia
Tambao is a Manganse deposit and potential minesite in far northeastern Burkina Faso
which has been estimated, when exploited, to be one of the largest deposits in the region. It's development, a major priority of the Burkinabe state, has been an on and off project since the 1990s. Unserved by roads or other infrastructure, the Tambao reserves are some 210 km north of Kaya
and 350 km northeast of the capitol in Ouagadougou
.
is mined here. For at least two decades it has been considered the most potentially lucrative mining resource in Burkina, and is believed the region's largest Maganese deposit, estimated at 20 million tonnes at %52 to %53 Manganese to ore, making it one of the cryptomelane-richest ore resources in the world. The site's inaccessibility and lack of infrastructure have prevented wide scale exploitation.
In 1993 InterStar Mining carried out 6 months of operations here, but were plagued by lack of supportive resources. Large scale exploitation was only again attempted by the Fompex consortium in 2004 and was quickly halted. Apart from total lack of operations infrastructure (power, water, construction or employment base) the biggest hurdle to commercial exploitation of the Tambao reserves is the lack of an all weather roadway capable of supporting the transport fleet needed to move ore the 210 km to Kaya
, the nearest city connected to the Burkinabe road network.
In 2010, the Burkinabe government carried out talks with investors from India
aimed at building a 250 km railway line from Tambao to Kaya. Later that year, the Burkinabe government tendered a series of openings for mining operations in Tambao, with Wadi Al Rawda Industrial Investments one early candidate thought likely to gain at least some concession.
In 2010 two consortia emerged offering to develop an integrated mining and rail system which, in some proposals, would not only mine and process ore, but build longer rail lines to feed into the Ivorian rail network for export at the port of Abidjan
. Major contenders were a Singaporean/Indian joint venture, the Nice Group company, and a tie up of the Japanese firm Mitsui Rail Capital
and Brazilian mining giant Vale S.A.
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
which has been estimated, when exploited, to be one of the largest deposits in the region. It's development, a major priority of the Burkinabe state, has been an on and off project since the 1990s. Unserved by roads or other infrastructure, the Tambao reserves are some 210 km north of Kaya
Kaya, Burkina Faso
Kaya is the eighth largest city in Burkina Faso, lying north east of Ouagadougou, to which it is connected by railway. It is a centre for weaving and tanning....
and 350 km northeast of the capitol in Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou
Ouagadougou is the capital of Burkina Faso and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic center of the nation. It is also the country's largest city, with a population of 1,475,223 . The city's name is often shortened to Ouaga. The inhabitants are called ouagalais...
.
Industry
ManganeseManganese
Manganese is a chemical element, designated by the symbol Mn. It has the atomic number 25. It is found as a free element in nature , and in many minerals...
is mined here. For at least two decades it has been considered the most potentially lucrative mining resource in Burkina, and is believed the region's largest Maganese deposit, estimated at 20 million tonnes at %52 to %53 Manganese to ore, making it one of the cryptomelane-richest ore resources in the world. The site's inaccessibility and lack of infrastructure have prevented wide scale exploitation.
In 1993 InterStar Mining carried out 6 months of operations here, but were plagued by lack of supportive resources. Large scale exploitation was only again attempted by the Fompex consortium in 2004 and was quickly halted. Apart from total lack of operations infrastructure (power, water, construction or employment base) the biggest hurdle to commercial exploitation of the Tambao reserves is the lack of an all weather roadway capable of supporting the transport fleet needed to move ore the 210 km to Kaya
Kaya, Burkina Faso
Kaya is the eighth largest city in Burkina Faso, lying north east of Ouagadougou, to which it is connected by railway. It is a centre for weaving and tanning....
, the nearest city connected to the Burkinabe road network.
In 2010, the Burkinabe government carried out talks with investors from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
aimed at building a 250 km railway line from Tambao to Kaya. Later that year, the Burkinabe government tendered a series of openings for mining operations in Tambao, with Wadi Al Rawda Industrial Investments one early candidate thought likely to gain at least some concession.
In 2010 two consortia emerged offering to develop an integrated mining and rail system which, in some proposals, would not only mine and process ore, but build longer rail lines to feed into the Ivorian rail network for export at the port of Abidjan
Abidjan
Abidjan is the economic and former official capital of Côte d'Ivoire, while the current capital is Yamoussoukro. it was the largest city in the nation and the third-largest French-speaking city in the world, after Paris, and Kinshasa but before Montreal...
. Major contenders were a Singaporean/Indian joint venture, the Nice Group company, and a tie up of the Japanese firm Mitsui Rail Capital
Mitsui Rail Capital
Mitsui Rail Capital is a railways rolling stock leasing company and part of Mitsui & Co. based in Japan. Its main activities are the purchase and rental of railway freight cars and locomotives.- United States :...
and Brazilian mining giant Vale S.A.