Minerals Investing in Northern State
Sudan Events – Nahid Oshi
The industrial minerals workshop organized by the General Authority for Geological Research (GAGR), the Authority’s branch office in the Northern State, concluded its work in Dongola today.
The workshop which was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Urban Development in the Northern State, has stressed the need to take advantage of the cessation of manufacturing industries in Khartoum and transfer them to the Northern State, and to benefit from the capital that entered the state during this period to invest in the field of industrial metals and manufacturing industries.
The workshop pointed out to the riches enjoyed by the state including, cement industry, with the presence of valuable raw materials such as marble, limestone, fodder, kaolin, ceramics, porcelain, and porcelain in the manufacture of paper, cardboard, chalk and paints as well as benefiting from the cadres coming to the state in all their specializations and forming a council of experts.
The workshop also recommended the integration between GAGR and the College of Geology and Mining in Wadi Halfa in student graduation projects and directing them to serve the exploitation of the state’s ores, implementing and supporting the establishment of small projects for geologists to exploit industrial mineral ores as well as preparing preliminary studies on how to benefit from industrial minerals while simplifying the terminology that is understood by non-specialists, the manufacture of glass of various types with the availability of high-quality silica raw materials, the use of those for the manufacture of perfumed soap and cosmetics and the use of kaolin in the cement industry to reduce what can contribute to reducing the cost of building houses and the use of sandstone in multi-story construction besides the importance of reviewing the environmental impact of industrial minerals used in construction, as some of them contain radioactive emissions (granite) and the health impact of some of them (asbestos) as well as urging ministries and government bodies to implement buildings with these minerals and rocks (sandstone) to be a guide for citizens and marketing Nubian stone in areas that suffer from corrosion due to humidity (Port Sudan as an example) provided that the Quarry and Mines Act in the states be under the authority of the Federal Mineral Resources Development and Exploitation Act. A distinction must be made between construction and minerals used in manufacturing industries so that mineral resources are not wasted and the economic and social impact of mining operations is maximized to achieve sustainable development and empower the state with the responsibility of supervising quarries and mines.
