The Minister of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas, Diamantino Azevedo, said on Friday in Luanda that construction work on Angola’s first Gold Refinery was progressing at a good pace, according to the revised schedule, with around 70 per cent of the work physically done, and he pointed to the second half of this year for its inauguration.

He was speaking at the end of a visit to check on the state of the infrastructure, which could initially guarantee a total of 35 jobs for young Angolans trained in various specialities.

For his part, the project manager for Angola’s first Gold Refinery, Kimba Baptista, said that he had received ‘concrete’ guidelines from the government to speed up the conclusion of the work on the main building, and pointed out that there were already technicians trained to ensure the normal operation of the project.

Kimba Baptista also emphasised the country’s need to increase production levels, and that, until its completion, the refinery will have a nominal capacity of 50 kilograms of gold.

The construction of Angola’s first Gold Refinery is being financed by ENDIAMA-E.P, with more than five million USD and is part of the country’s strategy to diversify its economic base.