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Zaire Table of Contents

Zaire

Manganese

Manganese is found at two locations in western Shaba Region, but only one, near Kisenge, has been exploited. The governmentowned Kisenge Mining Company ceased production of manganese shortly after the Benguela Railway to the Angolan port of Lobito was closed in 1975. Sporadic sales since 1975 have been from huge stockpiles accrued before the railroad closed. Production in 1968 amounted to over 300,000 tons. Foreign businesses, usually backed by supplier credits and requiring substantial down payments, offered a number of proposals to restart manganese production, including building a battery factory. Nothing had come of these plans by the early 1990s, although there was hope for renewed production once the Benguela Railway was reopened.

Data as of December 1993