The Kibali gold mine, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), remains on track to produce the guided 750 000 oz of gold for this year, Barrick Gold CEO Mark Bristow says.

Randgold Resources, which was bought out by Barrick last year, bought the Moto project, which has since been developed into Kibali, ten years ago.

Kibali became the owner-operator of its underground mine, which ranks as one of the most advanced in the global industry in terms of automation, a year ago. The automation system is currently being developed to the next technological level, where it will allow manned and unmanned operations within the same area.

Bristow says a significant feature of introducing autonomous mining at Kibali is that it has involved the transfer of specialist technical skills from expatriate instructors to Kibali’s Congolese workforce. More than 90% of Kibali’s 5 000 employees and contractors, including its management, are Congolese nationals.

The mine is also making a "substantial contribution" to the promotion of the local economy through its support of Congolese contractors and suppliers, which has turned the north-east of the country into a real commercial hub, says Barrick.

During the first half of this year, Kibali paid about $79-million to its Congolese business partners.

In addition, it continues to develop the infrastructure around the mine through initiatives such as the Durba asphalt project, which is paving a section of the main national road to Uganda which runs through the town center. Ambitious agribusiness projects designed to deliver sustainable benefits to the local community are also being advanced.

“Ten years ago, we went to a remote part of Africa and found what we believed was a real world-class opportunity but one which would require a major investment as well as a lot of courage to develop. That opportunity became Kibali, which poured its first gold in September 2013 and ramped up to full production during 2018,” Bristow says.

“We invested in the DRC without any incentives provided by the government, only a clear and equitable mining code. Last year, however, the then government unilaterally imposed a new code, which we believe puts the Congolese mining industry at risk and could discourage future investment.

"We continue to engage with the government on this issue and were encouraged when the new President Felix Tshisekedi outlined his vision of attracting foreign investment and developing the industry in a spirit of partnership, to Barrick’s executive chairperson John Thornton at a meeting earlier this year. It is this partnership that enabled the creation of Kibali and supports Barrick’s search for new world-class gold deposits in the DRC,” he adds.