Malawi Hopes For Mineral Fortune
(N. Z.P. A.-Reuter— -Copy right) BLANTYRE (Malawi). Malawi believes a fortune may lie beneath its soil in gold, diamonds, and minerals for industrial use, including uranium.
Hopes run high as the small landlocked state stands on the eve of exploration of her mineral wealth.
Malawi, the former Nyasaland, is a caterpillar-shaped country of 36,000 square miles. Bordered by the mineral-rich states of Rhodesia, Zambia and Tanzania, Nyasaland had traditionally been regarded as a poor prospect for mineral exploitation. In the days when Malawi was joined with Rhodesia and Zambia (the former Northern Rhodesia) in the Central African Federation (19531963), it was regarded as being the impoverished partner. During the last few years Britain has given substantial aid to Malawi. Help Vital Malawi's President, Dr Kamuzu Banda, once said it cost more to run Malawi than the country—a state of 4m people—earned. He added: “If Britain stopped helping
us, we could not stand and function for a single day." Now Dr Banda is hoping that scientific exploration of the country’s mineral resources will provide the answer to budget problems. Late last year a national geological mapping programme was completed—one of the first by an African state. ’
Besides several known deposits which may have economic potential, the programme has outlined areas where gold, copper, tin, nickel, chromium and zinc may be present. These have not yet been fully evaluated. Bauxite Deposits The known deposits include 60m tons of bauxite on Mount Mlanje, in southern Malawi, near the Mozambique border. Tests have shown about 42 per cent of aluminium oxide in the deposits. With the prospect of cheap electricity from the Cabora Bassa hydro-electric scheme, or alternatively from a hydroelectric scheme on the Shire River, and a new trade route opening soon through to the Indian Ocean port of Nacala, the idea of commercial exploration of the deposits is becoming more attractive. Overtures have been made by a number of firms in a variety of countries, including South Africa.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32053, 30 July 1969, Page 9
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331Malawi Hopes For Mineral Fortune Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32053, 30 July 1969, Page 9
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