By Amin Kef (Ranger)
Among the key North American players in the African mining landscape that were featured in the African Report Magazine under the column North America: Who’s Who in African Mining was, Craig Dean .According to the magazine, Dean is the Executive Chairman and CEO of the Gerald Group, having led the world’s oldest and largest independent, employee-owned metals trading house since 2012 after five years as CFO.
It continued that founded in 1962, the Gerald Group is quickly expanding into new African markets, with a focus on adding value across the minerals supply chain. Dean is also the chairman and CEO of Marampa Mines Limited, the Gerald Group’s flagship subsidiary in northern Sierra Leone.
As the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Marampa Mines Limited, the Gerald Group’s flagship subsidiary iron ore mining company that is vibrantly operating in Northern Sierra Leone, it is reported that Craig Dean successfully transformed the company from a non-performing entity to one of Africa’s highest quality iron ore producers and a major contributor the country’s economy and social development.
The company made a tremendous leap on the 5th May, 2022 when it commissioned its expansion project from 2 million dry tonnes per annum, (DMTPA) to 3.25 MTPA, after due process was completed.
During the commissioning event in which the President of Sierra Leone , Retired Brigadier Julius Maada Bio was present, the Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Gerald Group, Craig Dean, maintained that the company remains one of the world’s oldest and largest independent metals trading entity that is advancing economies and building a more sustainable future.
He further noted that many big iron ore companies of the world produce 62% but that they at Marampa Minerals are producing 65% high-grade ore that is being transported and sold to many countries across the world. Craig Dean revealed how the Government of Sierra Leone owns a 10% shares at MML and that the company has already employed over 2,000 Sierra Leoneans, with about 40% of the employees being women.
The CEO made a promise then that they will expand production to 7 million tonnes per annum expressing optimism of having a bigger scale of production that will be beneficial to the people and Government of Sierra Leone as well as the company.
President Julius
Maada Bio lauded the company for prioritizing gender on their agenda adding that addressing the issue of gender parity in the mining sector is a novel idea that sits very well with his Government’s overarching priority of gender equality and women’s empowerment in national development.
“So, women, who are now encouraged to study STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] disciplines for free through 17 years of school and university under my Government’s free quality school education agenda, can get preferential placements at these kinds of mine sites.
In the edition of the African Report Magazine in which Craig Dean was featured among other North American key players in the Mining Sector in Africa it was sated that the African mining landscape, historically dominated by Chinese, Australian, and European corporations on March 12, 2024, is witnessing a significant surge in interest from North American enterprises.
It continued that amid the Green Energy Revolution, the race for strategic minerals has intensified, with companies from the United States and Canada, backed by Governmental support, seeking to establish their presence in the mineral-rich continent.
According to the report, American firms, attracted by the prospects of securing supplies for clean energy technologies, are competing for a share of the lucrative mining sector adding that Canada’s Allied Gold Corporation emphasizes that the allure of gold remains as potent as ever in the region.
It was pointed out that the US Government, determined to counter Beijing’s influence over the global mineral market, has been proactive.
Quite revealing is that the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, with an allocation exceeding $370 billion for green industrial policies, has catalyzed the American push into Africa’s mining sector with the Act underscoring energy transition and the acquisition of critical metals as strategic imperatives for Washington.
Also stated was that in a collaborative effort, the US joined forces with Canada in 2022 to initiate the multinational Minerals Security Partnership (MSP) in Toronto.
The partnership, it was said, marks an ongoing investment in Africa by the Joe Biden administration, which includes the construction of a battery precursor plant at the border of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.
It is said the initiative aims to enhance the value of African minerals and streamline the export routes for cobalt and other vital resources through the Angolan port of Lobito.
These developments, it was concluded, suggest a significant shift in the global mining industry, with North American companies poised to play a pivotal role in Africa’s mining future.
Also mentioned was that the strategic positioning of these firms not only highlights the continent’s mineral potential but also underscores the geopolitical importance of resource security in the age of sustainable energy.
On the 4th July, 2021, Marampa Mines Limited loaded >65% Fe iron ore concentrate at Delta 1 anchorage point in the Port of Freetown in Sierra Leone to mark its first shipment of premium grade material that should depart the shores of the Freetown Port.