Banlaw to provide infrastructure and civil works for Banro mining in Congo
(07/12/2009)

Banlaw Africa Group has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Banro Corporation, a Canadian-based gold exploration company, and is finalising a contract to provide infrastructure and civil works for Phase 1 of Banro's Twangiza Project in the South Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Banlaw will provide access to the project by constructing approximately 40 kilometres of access road to the mine camp, process plant site and other facilities. The company will construct tailings and water dams and provide civil concrete works for the plant site, as well as providing construction and maintenance services once the Twangiza Mine begins production. Banlaw is presently mobilising equipment and will begin construction works early in 2010.

Banro have acquired a processing plant capable of processing 1.3 million tonnes of ore per annum and expect to produce 100,000 ozs of gold per annum. The Twangiza gold deposit contains measured and indicated resources of 5.60 million ounces of gold and inferred resources of 400,000 ounces. Drilling for additional resources continues. The property is located 45 kilometres South-Southwest of Bukavu in South Kivu Province and consists of six exploitation permits covering 1,164 square kilometres.

Banlaw is working closely with the Banro planning and engineering team to optimise the design of the main access road through the mountainous terrain to the plant site, which is 7,000 ft above mean sea level. Material and equipment will be transported via Tanzania and Kenya using well established freight forwarders that operate in both countries and who have experience in the DRC.

Banlaw has significant ongoing projects in Ghana, Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire delivering earthworks, civil works, contract mining and environmental services.