Burundi to Start Nickel Production 35 Years After Its Discovery

Burundi, one of the world’s poorest nations, plans to start nickel production next year, more than 35 years after first discovering the stainless steel-making ingredient, as the country addresses a lack of power and transport infrastructure.

Feasibility studies, carried out by the closely held South African company Burundi Mining Metallurgy International, are almost finished and mining work is expected to begin early next year, said Evelio Mushimantwari, director general of the department of geology and mines, in an interview yesterday in the capital, Bujumbura.