Australian amb: Egypt has tremendous possibilities in mining

CAIRO – 13 February 2018: Australian Ambassador to Egypt Neil Hawkins said that Egypt has tremendous possibilities in the mining sector, referring to the rise of Australian companies’ interest in the mining sector in Egypt, an official statement said.

Hawkins added that dozens of Australians are working on Al Sukari mine near Marsa Alam, stressing that he is looking forward to further cooperation between Australian and Egyptian officials and companies in the mining sector in 2018.

"Al Sukari mine is one of the top ten gold mines in the world and it reflects what can be achieved here in Egypt if Australian and Egyptian miners join forces in search for gold," Hawkins said.

The Australian Embassy is organizing a two-day workshop, entitled "Principles of Leadership for Sustainable Development in the Mineral Resources Sector" from February 14 – 15, in cooperation with the Australian Ministry of Minerals and the Egyptian General Authority for Mineral Resources.

The statement added that Egypt has great possibilities to further develop its mining sector and attract large international investments.

In November 2017, Chairman of mineral exploration and mining company (Centamin) Youssef el-Raghy said that the Sukari gold mine targets producing 600,000 ounces of gold in 2018, up from 540,000 ounces in 2017.

Located in the south-easternmost region of the Eastern Desert, Sukari mine is the first large-scale modern gold mine in Egypt, with a base case production rate of about 500,000 ounces per annum, according to the official website of Centamin.