Residents of Marampa and Mafoki chiefdoms in the Port Loko district have respectively praised Commodity Trading Company (CTC) Mining Company for the first payment of Le1.9 billion in old Leones as payment for surface rent.
The new Bauxite Mining Company is expected to create more opportunities and employment and will also embark on infrastructural development and capacity building and provide the residents with modern mining skills in that part of the country.
The Port Loko District Council hall was filled with government dignitaries and other prominent personalities in the district when the handing over of the cheques took place.
The dancing and merriment that took place signified that the locals were very happy for having a source of livelihood in their district.
Since the closure of Sierramin Mining Company, most of the residents had been unemployed. This, according to local authorities hurt their daily survival, hence the intervention of CTC Mining Company was a dream come true.
Country Representative Fassally Tawarallie said the payment of the Le1.9billion in old Leones for CTC Mining Company to undertake large-scale bauxite mining project in the Maforki and Marampa chiefdoms in the Port Loko District, noting that they will start operations soon and residents will have the opportunity to reap the benefits of their natural resources and gain maximum training in various skills from the company.
Authorities of the two chiefdoms promised to use the surface rent to develop their communities, adding that reviving Bauxite mining in the district was the answer to their long-awaited desires.
Paramount Chief Bai Koblo Queen II of Marampa Chiefdom in Port Loko District said his role is to ensure that they benefit from the natural resources of their land and to embrace the company in return.
Resident Minister North West who doubles as Presidential Spokesman, Alhaji Alpha Kanu described the event as a landmark occasion for stakeholders of the chiefdoms because CTC Mining Company made a huge investment in these chiefdoms by making development strides within one month of their operations.
Security personnel in the district pledged to protect and preserve the integrity of the CTC Mining Company and the residents of the chiefdoms and called on the youths to take advantage of skills training opportunities that would be provided by the company.
CTC Mining Company is the largest extractive mining company in Turkey and fourth in the world. Their operation in the aforementioned chiefdoms in Port Loko District is a laudable one as they hope to be producing over seventy million tons of commercial bauxite each year.
Bauxite is the best and only material for making aluminum metal. It is also used in the chemical industry, refractory brocks, abrasive, cement, steel, and petroleum industries. Lateritic bauxite is often used as a building material.
Having more mining operations in the country is crucial for the government revenue generation drive, but community ownership and collaboration with miners are considered vital to sustainable mining operations.
