Strengthening the Rwandan mineral sector

In an interview with Evode Imena published by Allafrica the recently appointed Mines State Minister in Rwanda explained how the Government and the mining sector plan to work together to strengthen the performance of the sector further. Minister Imena has the mandate to ensure that Rwanda’s mineral wealth is efficiently, optimally and sustainably used to generate wealth for the country. This includes bolstering the geology and mines department into an entity that can fully prepare and conduct mineral exploration projects and efficiently monitor and regulate mining activities. In terms of improvements relating to due diligence and traceability the Minister recognised some challenges but revealed plans to increase the number of tag managers from 97 to 200, as well as to increase salaries to discourage absenteeism. iTSCi and the Government is also planning to reduce paperwork and minimise errors by introducing bar code scanning systems for minerals. These moves are considered to be very positive and are very much welcomed both by ITRI and companies purchasing minerals from Rwanda.