Kenya to study construction of refinery to boost small scale mining revenues

KENYA is considering building a gold refinery in an effort to boost earnings by small scale miners, said Bloomberg News citing a petroleum and mining ministry announcement which was published in the country’s Daily Nation newspaper.

“The aim of the project is to improve the livelihoods of the beneficiary community, regional economy and that of Kenya as a whole, and creation of direct and indirect jobs for wealth creation through refining of gold to international standards,” the ministry said.

It also planned facilities to process soapstone and granite in the region and consultants have until November 8 to show interest, according to the statement cited by Bloomberg.

Kenya is the world’s third-biggest producer of soda ash, used to make glass, and ranks sixth in output of fluorspar, used in steel making, according to the US Geological Survey. It also has deposits of coal, gold, rubies and sapphires, said Bloomberg News.