Sudan Ministry of Minerals and Mining has signed a contract with the Saudi company Manafie to kick off minerals exploration in the Red Sea, Minister Abdel Bagi Al-Jailani told the press Saturday. He said about 46 percent of Sudan total area is rich in gold. The minister revealed a directive for the Central Bank of Sudan (CBOS) to sell gold at the applicable international price to prevent smuggling, adding that an Italian company is now preparing for installing gold sieve soon to meet the increasing size of production. He said that there are 200 companies working in gold exploration and processing at this time, in addition to six companies expected to join production cycle by the end of the year. He added that about 66 tons are produced within the framework of traditional mining, adding, there are 37 companies working in chrome mining alongside with copper explored and processed by Aryab Company. Al-Jailani further said the geological region including Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Jordan and Sham Region is known for minerals resources, calling for establishing specialized bank to fund mining investment. He said minerals in general and gold in particular have enhanced Sudan's exports lately, confirming his ministry commitment to development of mining, expecting total production of gold to hit 70 tons this year. Meanwhile, Head of Arab Organization for Mining and Industry Development (AOMID) Mohammad bin Yousif stressed the importance of geological research, adding that Sudan is considered the 'untapped land' in the region as regards minerals.
