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News and Events

Ministry of Mines visits Koidu Kimberlite Project

by Ibrahim Kamara

Sadiq Silla, the driving force behind the resettlement programme, providing a guided tour of the Koidu Kimberlite Township.

Jan Joubert describing the plant process and outlining future expansion plans

View of the Vertical Pit from the K-shaft look-out point

Visiting the vertical pit

The delegation visits the Illicit Diamond Mining activities in the Koidu mining lease area.

On Saturday 20 October 2007, a 13-man delegation led by the Permanent Secretary, George Pessima, the Director, Alimamy Rashin Wurie, the Mining Engineer, Jonathan A Sharkah and the host Paramount Chief of Tankoro Chiefdom, Paul Ngaba Saquee V, visited the Koidu Kimberlite Project to acquaint themselves with the activities of the Company and at the same time discuss with its management the contentious issues of the resettlement programme, the blasting exercise, Illicit Diamond Mining (IDM) and other issues.

Just as the sun was easing into an altitude that promised a dazzling but scorching weekend, the Permanent Secretary and his retinue drove through the gates at K-shaft, where they were met by the Chief Administration Officer, Sadiq Silla. After trading the requisite pleasantries, the CAO led the guests to the Company's offices to meet the Chief Executive Officer, the Mine Manager and the rest of the Management team. As the motorcade halted outside the office, the CEO came out to receive his visitors and usher them into the Board Room. Once inside the Board Room, a few niceties were observed and brief introductions were made before the CEO outlined the programme for the day, which involved a tour of the mining facility and a meeting afterwards.

The conducted tour commenced with a visit to the resettlement site. Management used the visit as an opportunity to show the Permanent Secretary and his entourage the truth about the resettlement programme and the vast resources the company is putting in to ensure that the people inhabiting houses within the concession are resettled as quickly as possible, and in quality structures. The visitors were taken round the Koidu Kimberlite Township to see the structures, talk to the people and see the bore-hole that has been developed to supply clean drinking water to the community. At the end of the tour around the resettlement site, the CEO proudly remarked: 'I think Sadiq Silla and his team deserve a medal for what they have done, others think differently but you can be the judge.' From their expressions, it was obvious that the visitors were amazed by the architectural finesse of the structures, the neat organization of the site and its general upkeep, especially so when what they saw represented the direct opposite of the information they had.

From the resettlement site, the team drove through to the processing plant, where it stopped briefly to take in the sophistication of the machinery that constitute the plant and marvel the enormity of the investment the company has made in this country. The CEO gave them a concise analysis of the cost involved in running and maintaining the Plant.

The next stop was at No. 2 Pipe. If No. 2 Pipe was impressive for the visitors, then the almost 80 metres deep No. 1 Pipe vertical pit was awe inspiring. This pit represents a unique achievement for Sierra Leone. It is currently the only pit of it kind in the whole world.

The tour ended with a visit to the Illicit Diamond Mining site at Bakundu. The number of people the government official saw and the level of hostility with which their visit was received justified the Company's concern over people mining within its concession and the safety of its staff and machinery. The visitors hardly reached the site than they were greeted with invectives and utterances that are characteristic of the dark days of this country. An attempt to talk to them almost resulted in a fight. By the calculation of the group, it was thought prudent to let them be. With that, the entourage headed back to the Office for the meeting.

The dose of realism injected into the guests by the tour around the facility undoubtedly set the tenor for the discussions. Back in the Board Room, in a rather impressive and coherent fashion, the CEO painstakingly catalogued the plethora of impediments Koidu Holdings is encountering in not only its operations, but meeting its corporate social responsibilities as well. One of these obstacles, he posited, remains the thorny issue of IDMs. Illustrating from a map of the Company's concession on the wall, the CEO showed how far IDMs have encroached into the concession. By his reckoning, the only way to forestall the complete annexation of the Concession by IDMs is to construct a fence around it, leaving a 50ft buffer zone between the fence and the demarcation line. To do this, he admitted, will require permission as well as protection from government. Mr. Pessima's response to the CEO's exposition was an unequivocal assurance that the government is going to give the Company all the support it needs to address the problems that beset its operations. He emphasized the need to encourage companies like Koidu Holdings as he observed 'we need companies like this because at this point in time, this country is flat on its back. It will take it another 10 to 15 years before it could stand back on its feet.'