Angolan Minister of Mineral Resources and Petroleum Diamantino Azevedo hopes his country will become a miner of gold next year as part of its effort to diversify its economy, which depends mainly on exploiting its deposits of oil and diamonds, Reuters reports.
“We are just producing diamonds and stuff like marble and granite at the moment,” the news agency quotes Mr Azevedo as saying.
“We are expecting to start gold production soon. We expect to have two or three gold mines operating next year, but at a small scale.”
Mr Azevedo said minor mining companies were looking for gold in 10 or so places in Angola.
The country also has iron ore and copper prospects, Reuters quotes the minister as saying.