L. Fituni, I. Abramova Resource Potential of Africa and Russia's ...

for 22 years in 2002 Friguia refinery is one of the largest employers
in Guinea with 1,099 people. The volume of the bauxite reserves
under exploration has reached 35 mln tonnes; the volume of the explored
resources is 361 mln tonnes. The refinery’s infrastructure
includes a 160 km long railway network used for transportation of
products, raw materials and fuel.
In 1978, a Soviet geological expedition started prospecting for
bauxites in Guinea-Bissau. After completing prospecting work and
evaluating reserves, Soviet organizations produced technical and
economic substantiation for the development of the deposit, with an
account of Soviet assistance to be given on a compensatory basis.
The Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville) was another country
of Tropical Africa where cooperation in the field of geological prospecting
also resulted in the industrial development of the prospected
deposits of minerals.
Soviet geologists carried out surveys in the middle reaches of
the Hiari River, where rich deposits of zinc and lead ores were
mapped out, and also gold placers and other minerals found. Assistance
was rendered on a compensatory basis in the industrial development
of the prospected deposits of polymetallic ores in Gengile
estimated at 300,000 tons and gold placers in Sunda Kakamoeka. In
the vicinity of these deposits a state ore-dressing enterprise in
M'Vouti and a gold mine have been built. The ore-dressing enterprise
in M'Vouti was the first in the country. Its rated capacity is
30,000 tons of lead concentrate a year.
Prospecting of another deposit of polymetallic ores in Yanga
Kibenga was completed not long before the break up of the USSR.
The exploitation began after the Gengile deposit had been depleted.
According to preliminary estimates, its reserves amount to 2.1 million
tons. Its development made it possible to obtain a considerable
quantity of valuable raw materials, Soviet-Congolese cooperation in
investigating the natural resources of the People's Republic of the
Congo continued even after the demise of the USSR with Russian
geologists doing prospecting work in the Boko-Singo region.
Prior to the coup of February 24, 1966, the Soviet Union had
been providing broad assistance to Ghana in chartering its mineral
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