B2Gold, a Canadian company with mines in Africa and the Philippines, is interested in buying gold assets in Zimbabwe.
The medium-sized gold producer, which has mines in Mali, Namibia and the Philippines, has held talks with the southern African country's government and other officials. Clive Johnson, chief executive, said, "see if they are ready to let us in".
"there is a strong reason, and we are making it in Zimbabwe," Johnson said in an interview on November 24. " "We think it has the fascinating potential of some advanced projects as well as exploration potential."
B2Gold considered buying an idle Zimbabwean gold mine two years ago, but wanted the authorities to exempt it from a law that would force miners to sell all their metals to the country's central bank, the report said.
Zimbabwe urgently needs new investment in its key mining sector to restart its troubled economy. Nonetheless, new investors are nervous that Zimbabwe has forced gold miners to sell most of their gold bars to the central bank, Fidelity Printing and Refining, and then repay them in dollars and a rapidly depreciating local currency.
Mining Minister Winston Chitando (Winston Chitando) said B2Gold had shown interest in investment and was in talks with private gold mining companies.
The chief executive said B2Gold would consider buying Zimbabwe's operating assets and setting up a joint venture, and that the company could also explore the potential for a mill. The miner is also looking for gold in Finland and Uzbekistan and is seeking to build a new mine with AngloGold Ashanti on the Gramalote project in Colombia.
"from a geological point of view, this is an interesting area for us, and this is what we are looking for in the world," said Johnson, who has led the company since its establishment in 2007. "We may enter the first half of next year with more confidence and talk more about what we think is potential."
