KENYA CONFIRMS DISCOVERY OF COLTAN

SOURCE: Energy Capital & Power

Kenyan authorities announced the discovery of the first coltan deposits in the country. "We will send our teams to start assessing the economic value of this particular mineral," the Minister of Mines, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs said in a statement.

Salim Mvurya High School, stating that deposits of the mineral have been found in six counties across the country, but its value has not yet been determined. Mvurya said the discovery is expected to create more jobs and expand Kenya's mining industry. Coltan is used to make batteries for electric cars, mobile phones and other electronic devices.

This rare mineral is often refined into tantalum metal, a heat-resistant powder used to make capacitors, which are then used to make electronic devices. According to Chamber According to the Kenya National Institute of Trade and Industry (KNCCI), mining accounts for less than 1 percent of Kenya's gross domestic product (GDP), but can potentially contribute up to 10 percent. Analysts say international demand for coltan is growing rapidly and has become one of the driving forces of the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which holds more than 70 percent of the world's reserves of the mineral. .