Rwanda Mines, Petroleum and Gas Board (RMB) has announced immediate suspension of all beryllium mineral exportation in the country until further notice.
Beryllium is a chemical element whose compounds are found in other minerals such as Coltan- which is largely found in Rwanda’s mountainous terrain.
Its compounds are used in various end industrial end products including: Aerospace (aircraft braking systems, engines, satellites, space telescope) Automotive (anti- lock brake systems, ignitions) Ceramic manufacturing (rocket covers, semiconductor chips).
The suspension notice was released this August 8, by the RMB Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Francis Kamanzi following reports of illegal mining and trading of the mineral.
“This decision follows numerous reports of illegal mining and trading of beryllium, as well as associated social unrest and conflicts,” Kamanzi said in the announcement.
The announcement said that during this suspension period, RMB will conduct a comprehensive review of the reported cases of illegal activities and implement improved export procedures to streamline the beryllium business.
John Kanyangira, the RMB Division Manager in charge of mineral traceability said that the mineral is not new in Rwanda’s mining sector but its exploration has not been a major focus until recently when the demand has increased.
“This suspension action will not affect Rwanda’s growing mining sector. The move has been taken temporarily as a result of increased demand on the international market which is resulting into illegal exploration locally yet we didn’t have regulations or guidelines on this specific mineral,” Kanyangira explained.
Kanyangira said that the increased demand for beryllium and its prices hiking daily is a result of reduced supply of deposits from South American countries where the mineral is largely explored.
He noted that the shortage has created a demand of supply from the Great Lakes Region and thus a need to locally regulate the pressure so that miners are not indulged in activities that can be dangerous to their lives.
“We want to first set up guidelines so that the beryllium exploration is done in a proper manner,” Kanyangira noted.
The suspension comes at a time when Rwanda’s mineral export revenue has increased from $772 million to more than $1.1 billion, closing in on the target of generating $1.5 billion in annual mineral export revenues by 2024.
A report published by the Rwanda Mining and Gas Board (RMB) February 15, 2024 showed that the above growth recorded in 2022 and in 2023 represented a 43% growth year on year.
