Angola’s first new gold mine since the country’s independence in 1975 could be put into industrial production by 2018, Angolan newspaper O País reported this week.

Covering an area of 1,930 square kilometres in Limpopo, Huila province, the mine could have an annual yield of 780,000 tonnes of gold ore, said João Diniz, director of Angolan state-run mining firm Empresa Nacional de Ferro de Angola (Ferrangol).

This could result in annual gold production of up to 22,218 ounces in an initial phase, bringing in annual revenue of US$28 million, he added.

Francisco Queiroz, Angolan Minister of Geology and Mining, was quoted by the newspaper as saying an ongoing geological and mining survey across the African nation could allow authorities to map other potential gold mining areas in Angola.