Resumen de Africa - open for business?

Siobhan Lismore-Scott, Laura Syrett, Nilima. Choudhury

• "Up until 10 years ago, Madagascar had not been exposed to'modern' exploration techniques," Craig Scherba, chief operating officer for TSX-V listed graphite junior, Energizer Resources Inc., which is developing the 124m tonne (indicated and inferred) Molo graphite deposit in eastern Madagascar, told IM.

  Depending partly on mineral prices and export volumes, the World Bank estimates that mining's contribution to Madagascar's national revenues could increase from their present level of 1% to 18% by 2018 and may catapult the country into the ranks of "resource rich nations" in the medium term.

  "The global economic recession and the fall in fluorspar prices from the end of 2012 have meant that SepFluor's capital raising programme has had to be pushed out. This, in turn, has meant the same for Nokeng's development timetable," James Duncan of SepFluor told IM.