In December 2023, SORED Mines, a prominent Senegalese gold mining company, celebrated a significant milestone with the inauguration of its partnership with Minopex, a company owned by DRA Global. In late Q4 2023, Minopex was awarded the project to provide operational and training assistance to the team at Sored Mines' Niamia Gold Mine in Senegal. The mine, with construction commencing in 2018 and featuring a conventional gold heap-leach facility, sought Minopex's expertise to optimize certain aspects of the plant and train local operators to meet the highest industry standards.
 
The inauguration event, held on the mine’s premises, was attended by a delegation of Senegalese authorities, including the Honourable Minister of Mines and Geology, as well as executives from both SORED Mines and Minopex. The celebratory event included festivities throughout the afternoon. During speeches on the day, Mr. Sajid Iqbal, Vice President of Operations at Minopex, expressed gratitude to the local communities, SORED Mines, and the Ministry of Mines and Geology for the warm reception given to its employees in Senegal. Mr. Iqbal reiterated his personal commitment to the success of the project and emphasized the importance of local representation in the broader ambitions of growing the mine. As of early January 2024, Minopex has already achieved significant progress at the mine. Testing of the ADR (Adsorption, Desorption, and Regeneration) circuit, before the full operation of the heap leach plant, has allowed Minopex to produce the first gold ingot. SORED Mines already expects improved gold production at the facility, thanks to Minopex's intervention.
 
In a separate statement, Mpho Nkgodi, SVP for Group Origination, highlighted the strategic significance of Minopex’s involvement at the Senegalese mine: “West Africa is central to our strategic initiatives. Our interventions at Niamia represent the culmination of efforts to establish ourselves as a household name in the region. Over the past two-and-a-half decades, Minopex has provided tailored operations and maintenance solutions to clients in the Middle East and Africa, and we are proud of the strides made, particularly over the last year.” In an earlier meeting that year, Sored Mines Chief Executive Officer Mr. Ousmane AHNE and Minopex Group Executive Vice President Mr. Rashid Kader thanked their teams for securing this partnership and reflected on the importance of the unique skills represented by both teams, showcasing the best of African engineering skills.

At Minopex, we take time to reflect on our collective achievements, applaud the hard work of our exceptional team, and express our gratitude to those who have been an integral part of the Minopex journey. 

In December 2023, we took a moment to honor our long-service employees, whose loyalty and commitment have played a pivotal role in shaping the Minopex legacy. Minopex values the wealth of experience and expertise each member brings to the organisation.

Together, as one united Minopex family, we are poised for even greater achievements and milestones.