Lubango - The Association of Producers, Processors, Traders and Exporters of Ornamental Stones of Southern Angola (APEPA) has expressed apprehension about the measure to ban the export of quartz and gypsum, due to the investments already made in research, more than US$1 million.
At the association level, there are currently three companies in the final stages of completing studies on the potential of quartz, in Huíla, Namibe and Cunene, for the purpose of exploration in raw form, in a first phase, whose studies began in 2020.
On Friday, the 26th, the Council of Ministers approved a set of laws that prohibit the export of quartz and gypsum, aiming to establish policies so that these mineral resources explored in the country are preferably processed, before being exported.
The measure was adopted at the 7th Ordinary Session of the Council of Ministers, which met at the Presidential Palace and aims to boost the manufacturing industry, generate employment, promote the transfer of skills to the national industry and guarantee revenue for the State.
When speaking about the matter, the chairperson of APEPA, Marcelo Siku, stated that the decision to ban it was a “surprise”, as they were not consulted to find an alternative, and therefore needed a moratorium of at least two years to be able to see a return on the investments already made.
“Since 2020, companies have been working on quartz research, knowing the market that has shown good absorption indicators.
The Cunene company has already completed several research projects, as has the Quilengues company in Huíla, and the results are encouraging”, he stated.
He explained that in Huíla alone, the estimated reserves are around 38 million tons and for the first time, they are producing special quartz blocks in the country, using a super glue that gives greater consistency to the mineral.
Marcelo Siku stated that an investment of over one million dollars was made, including equipment, opening of roads, sending samples abroad, among other expenses during the study process.
According to the source, this measure means that over 400 young people who work in the three companies are at risk of losing their jobs, since the operators in the area do not yet have the means to process the product locally.
“To process locally, we would need a combined energy system, between the public grid and gas, to be able to operate the furnaces, and we are still struggling locally with the lack of public electricity in the quarries,” he stated.
He stated that the Association intends to send a memorandum to explain the situation to the supervising ministry, in order to obtain the necessary moratorium.
APEPA controls 27 members in the provinces of Huíla, Namibe and Cunene. EM/MS/TED/DOJ
