Mining Magazine December 2017 | Page 35

AFRICA

While sustainability and technology sit at the heart of TiZir ’ s vision for its Grande Côte Operation ( GCO ) in Senegal , the mine ’ s new Chief Executive Officer Jozsef Patarica maintains that the most vital component of its makeup is its people .

In fact , Patarica , who took over ultimate responsibility for the mineral sands mine in June , goes as far as describing GCO ’ s workforce as “ one , big family ”.
Extending down more than 100km of Senegal ’ s west coast , GCO has been mining for zircon , ilmenite , rutile and leucoxene since its ambitious project kicked off production in 2014 , 10 years after MDL was commissioned by the government to explore opportunities in the region .
Senegal ’ s much-envied economic stability , along with the mine ’ s proximity to Dakar – it rests 150km northeast of the country ’ s capital city – means that GCO has come across very few obstacles in gathering a skilled , motivated
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