President Sisi leads meeting to discuss development of tantalum ore mining

CAIRO - 12 May 2023: President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has met with Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Tarek El Molla, Minister of Public Business Sector Mahmoud Essmat, Major General Waleed Abu Al-Majd, Director-General of the National Service Projects Agency for the Armed Forces, and Major General Abdelsalam Shafeek, CEO of the Egyptian Mining Authority and the Quarries and Mines Management.

The meeting, according to presidential spokesperson Counsellor Ahmed Fahmi, discussed ongoing efforts to develop and utilize Egypt's mineral resources, particularly tantalum ore, which has reserves in Egypt and is considered one of the rare and precious elements used in various advanced industries such as aircraft components, electronic circuits, microelectronics, mobile phones, and laptops, as well as the production of some medical components such as prosthetic implants.

According to the spokesperson, the President directed to continue working on optimally managing and utilizing Egypt's mineral wealth and raw materials, emphasizing the adoption of the best modern management and governance methods and advanced technological techniques that maximize the added value of Egypt's mineral resources and contribute to the state's industrial plan and national economy.

In recent years, Egypt has increased its emphasis on the development of its mineral resources, especially tantalum.

The country possesses considerable quantities of the rare metal, which is in high demand due to its unusual qualities in a variety of industries.

In 2020, the Egyptian government announced the launch of a strategy to develop the country's mining sector, with the aim of increasing its contribution to the national economy and creating job opportunities for Egyptians.

The strategy includes the development of new mining projects and the modernization of existing ones, as well as the promotion of investment in the sector.

This latest meeting between President El-Sisi and top government officials underscores the government's commitment to the development of the mining sector and the utilization of Egypt's mineral wealth to benefit its citizens and development progress.