Acting Director of the General Authority for Geological Research, Geological Advisor Ahmed Haroun Al-Tom said (Zool Net Network): We have lost important information due to the war and we have contacted external parties to retrieve this information ✍️ Dialogue: Fatima Awad
*We have taken action against 6 companies for non-compliance with the concession contract*
*We tend to produce gemstones and these are (…) the regions in which they are found*
The history of the General Authority for Geological Research began in 1605, and it became the Geological Research Authority, then it transformed into a body, and bodies emerged from it such as oil, water, Sudan Mineral Resources Corporation and Sudan. Company (Zool Net Network). She met with the director of the General Authority for Geological Research, in charge of the geological advisor, Ahmed Haroun Al-Toum, and conducted interviews with A dialogue to learn about the tasks of the Authority, its role in the economy national, its status before and after the war and the achievements it has accomplished, Ahmed Haroun explained that the Authority has tasks for the benefit of the State in the processes of research, exploration and promotion of mineral resources . the dialogues:
*First of all, tell us about the missions and powers of the Authority?
The research organization has state offices and has 14 state offices. The organization plays a technical research and promotion role on behalf of the state and an advisory role for state infrastructure, as it conducts studies.
Geotechnical infrastructure, bridges, reservoirs and dams, and their role is very clear in all existing facilities, and their role increased after the year 2007 (the gold rush).
*What achievements have you made?*
There is strong demand from local and foreign investors for mineral resources in concession blocks and small mining blocks for gold and associated minerals, industrial minerals, energy minerals and precious stones.
The Authority has started to develop a geological, geochemical and metallurgical map in the form of layers to illustrate the full potential of Sudan's mineral resources in order to prepare squares and promote them to investors.
A number of investors, whether domestic or foreign, have accepted and obtained a certain number of places, with the total number of concession places reaching 156 franchise places until October 2024.
There are 20 companies that have reached a technical and economic feasibility study, including approximately 9 producing companies.
*Are there foreign companies producing gold in Sudan and are other minerals produced?*
One of the largest gold producing companies is the Russian Alliance Company.
There is also commercial production of other minerals such as iron, chromium, copper, gypsum, marble, talc and manganese.
*What is the status of the Authority after the war?*
Despite the challenges and war conditions, the Authority operated from Port Sudan in early May 2023, and since then until today, 6 concession blocks have been prepared, equipped and signed with national companies and foreign. and a number of general and absolute exploration licenses have been signed. In addition to technical information, communications were made with external counterparts to restore missing information, knowing that there have been large projects in Sudan since the 70s, and there is information with foreign parties, such as the Sudanese-Russian project, the Sudanese project. -German, Sudanese-Chinese, Sudanese-French and Sudanese-Chinese project. All of these projects have participated with the Authority with a number of its technical and administrative staff, so there is a huge amount of technical information to be provided. be retrieved in order to complete the information base. These authorities were contacted and it was agreed to also provide this information to Sudan.
The Authority communicated with internal authorities and a lot of information was retrieved. The Authority has started to restore the information base, and now the performance rate has reached 60%. The Authority has worked to prepare the working environment without relying too much on its budget, with the help of companies operating in the sector on a voluntary basis, since companies have provided a lot to the Authority to prepare the working environment workers.
Today, the Authority operates with an agile structure that does not exceed 20 technical and administrative collaborators, and we look forward to the expansion of the work team.
There is high coordination with other farms in the ministry, such as the Sudan Company, Sudan Company and Ariab Company, in addition to the units attached to the ministry, including the Minerals Police and the Minerals Economy.
*Has the authority signed new agreements with new companies?*
The Authority participated in external promotional projects such as the China Forum, the Afro-Russian Economic and Trade Forum, the Afro-Indian Forum and the Turkish Business Forum.
At the Afro-China Forum, the Geological Research Authority and Robert Geo Company signed an agreement for research and exploration of gold and related minerals, and a protocol was signed with the Russian University of St. Petersburg. The protocol aims to train, qualify and provide technical consultation.
There is a trend towards Russia and China
The Authority has 17 scholarship employees in Russia, China and Egypt to obtain postgraduate studies, including master's and doctoral degrees, which has created good relationships.
The Russian project covered most of the eastern region, from the Eritrean borders to the Egyptian borders, with geological, geophysical and geochemical studies of ferrous and non-ferrous metals.
*Have you implemented any investment projects?*
Of course, all projects have generated investment opportunities and all mineral wealth is the result of previous projects carried out through the efforts of national cadres, for example the Chinese project implemented in the Blue Nile region and now in the most chrome producing areas.
As a research organization, we maintain relationships with relevant institutions such as the Chinese Geological Survey (CGS).
There is also a memorandum of understanding for research, exploration and rehabilitation.
*It is said that Sudan, after the war, will move east and make new agreements. What do you say?
The policy of the state is to restore and restore relations between Sudan and all friendly countries, including Russia and China, in various economic fields.
The objective of the visit is to open up the eastern axis and restore normal relations
Since 2014, the role of the Authority has been technical, research, exploration and promotion.
*What about the production of precious stones, especially since Sudan is rich in these resources?*
There is a trend to produce precious and semi-precious stones due to increasing global demand, and Sudan has a prepared environment for the formation of precious stones. The Authority began to take an interest in precious stones in 2012, and technical staff were trained. trained and started to be interested in gemstones, and there is production and export of gemstones.
*What is the production volume of gemstones and in which regions of Sudan are they found?*
The quantity of precious stones is commercially and economically viable and is found in Gedaref, Nile, Northern and some other states, such as rubies, sapphires, diamonds and agates. There are such semi-precious stones. such as garnet, and there are domestic companies working in gemstones, such as Sabayek Company, which manufactures and exports, but interest in gemstones is an individual and small business matter.
Precious stones
*Are there specialized laboratories in Sudan to detect stones?*
The Authority is working on studies, exploration and promotion, and there is a small laboratory that will be brought
Specialized laboratory
For precious stones, they are sedimentary and are found in waterways and certain areas exposed to bad weather.
*Are there any foreign companies that left because of the war?*
We worked to communicate with businesses despite the circumstances, and most foreign businesses left completely, but returned and resumed operations. There is a company that has not left Sudan, it is a Russian company, and it continued to work despite the war. terms.
*There are companies that do not produce. Are there controls that govern the work?
The places were granted in accordance with the concession contract and the work controls, and a period of 6 months was granted to carry out the work immediately after signing the contract. We have taken numerous actions against no less than 6 companies against whom we have taken action for non-compliance. with the concession contract.
*What is your plan for the post-war period?*
We have developed a post-war plan which includes 3 axes linked to the logistical aspect of rebuilding infrastructure and vehicles destroyed by the war, then human, technical and administrative frameworks and preparing them to work on the restoration of the information base of the Authority in coordination with all institutions linked to the State, in addition to ensuring the psychological rehabilitation of people psychologically affected by the war.
And work to examine, evaluate and restore the entire lost information base in coordination with the relevant state authorities and work to create an electronic information bank to avoid what happened in the previous information and create a digital system to preserve information in the future.
