The Chief Executive Officer of Sierra Rutile Limited, Theuns Debruyn has acknowledged that the Sierra Leonean-owned mining company, Mano Mining is very much competitive in the mining industry.
“They are doing the mining; they are competitive, they are doing the same as our other mining companies and they are performing the mining contract,” Theuns Debruyn said.
CEO Debruyn made this statement during a compliance workshop, best practices in the implementation of the Sierra Leone Rutile Local Content Policy with the theme: Bridging the Gap and Empowering Local Businesses.
He disclosed that the workshop is the second that they are holding on local content but that it is first taking place in Freetown. The significance of holding it in Freetown is a testament that they want to expand their engagement with local businesses across the country.
He stated that they are currently working with over 100 local contractors and that 66% of procurement is made by local companies adding that there has been significant growth which increases opportunities for local enterprises.
“This workshop serves as a perfect platform for us to enhance collaboration, address challenges, and formalize strategies for increasing local content in the Sierra Leonean supply chain,” he said.
They anticipate fruitful ideas and exchanges that will empower the local businesses and contribute to the Sierra Leone economy.
In his response, the Chief Executive Officer of Mano Mining, Ibrahim Mansaray said that he has been a part of the history of Sierra Rutile Limited way back in 2013 when they were pushing for the company to become a 100% Sierra Leonean-managed company.
He acknowledged that Sierra Rutile has been contributing to the development of Sierra Leoneans as well as providing support to Sierra Leonean companies.
He maintained that during his five (5) with Sierra Rutile, he worked as the head of Commercial Services and that he took part in supporting Sierra Leonean companies and also worked closely with the Local Content Agency.
“As an ex-Sierra Rutile employee, I am happy to be providing service to Sierra Rutile today,” he said.
He added that they (Mano Mining) won a contract for mining services in 2023 and that they have been mining for the past seven (7) months, which he said is interesting as they have to promote the fact that Sierra Leoneans can do it better.
“We are happy to say that in our seven (7) months of operations, we have been operating safely and meeting our target; today we have 97% Sierra Leoneans employed and only 3% expert workforce,” he emphasized.
Acknowledging the challenges that come in terms of providing specialist services to mining companies, their team has designed a training program for the training of 150 Sierra Leoneans this year, with 50 of them being existing employees for the training of trainers and 100 being Sierra Leoneans who will be taking part in the mining industry.
He disclosed that 35% of the 100 employees are women as they want to empower women in the country.
He expressed hope that by the end of 2024, there will be 100% of women who will be positioned to operate heavy machinery and expressed thanks to the Ministry of Mines and NMA for their support.
Representing the Director General of the National Mineral Agency (NMA), the Local Content Monitoring Officer, Sahr Lawrence Karmati said that as a body charged with the regulatory mandate their role is to ensure compliance.
He noted that it is crucial to recognize the importance of incorporating local content within the mining industry and the huge benefit it could bring to the people as well as the nation.
He noted that the primary objective of the workshop is to facilitate connections and collaborations between the mining company and local businesses, contractors, manufacturers, suppliers and service providers.
He furthered that by engaging the following partners, the company aims to establish lasting relationships thereby creating a robust network with suppliers and contractors.
