In a major move, Stellar Diamonds, has applied for a large-scale mining licence at its Tongo project in Sierra Leone, marking its move from being an explorer focused on West Africa to becoming a miner in the area. Once the application gets processed by National Minerals Agency, it will be forwarded to Minerals Advisory Board for consideration. 

It may be recalled that the MAB is responsible for recommending the approval of the mining licence to the Minister of Mines. In addition, the final Environmental, Social and Health Impact Assessment report has been submitted to the Environmental Protection Agency for consideration. In order to complete the process with the EPA, public disclosure meetings will be held in the New Year both in the project area and in Freetown, after which the ESIHA can be approved by the EPA and the required environmental licence issued.  

As Karl Smithson, the chief executive at Stellar says, “The submission of the Tongo mining licence application and ESHIA marks a key milestone in the development of the project as we make the transition from exploration to mining. Notably, as far as I am aware, this is the first large-scale mining licence of any kind to be applied for since the onset of the Ebola crisis. As such this therefore also marks an important milestone for the country of Sierra Leone which needs to attract new private sector investment to contribute to its post-Ebola economic recovery.”