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p Assistance in the development of the minerals and raw materials base in African countries is an important aspect of Soviet technical and economic cooperation with them. Soviet organisations tackle the entire range of problems involved. Under the signed inter-governmental agreements they send geological prospectors and surveyors, and also specialists to be employed by corresponding state agencies or companies, supply necessary equipment, and help to set up geological stations and“educational”institutions and to build mines.

p Cooperation with the Soviet Union in geological prospecting and mining helps African countries to establish their national minerals and raw materials base and“heighten”the efficiency of local state geological agencies.

p The Soviet Union‘s’ assistance in geological prospecting and the development of mineral resources occupies a particularly important place in its relations with the North African countries.

p Algeria launched a really systematic study of solid minerals only after it had established cooperation with the Soviet Union. Under an inter-governmental agreement signed on 27"December 1963, Soviet’geologists are" participating in an extensive programme for prospecting for the ores of ferrous, non-ferrous, rare and precious metals, non- 167 metal-liferous and some other minerals initiated by the Algerian National Society for Prospecting and Exploiting Minerals (SONAREM).

p Cooperation has yielded good results. Soviet geologists helped to discover or reappraise more than 50 mineral deposits. They have taken part in determining a new and substantially enlarging the proven minerals and raw materials base consisting of such crucial minerals as lead, zinc, mercury, antimony, tin, tungsten, iron, gold, barium and rock salt. Algeria’s biggest lead and zink mine in El Abadia is being reconstructed. Its daily output was raised from 800 tons of ore in 1971 to 3,300 tons in 1975. The ore is processed at an enrichment factory which was also built with Soviet assistance. Commercial deposits of tungsten and lead have been discovered in the Haggar Mountains. Additional survey was completed of the known tungsten deposits in Nahda (Dauni) containing nearly 17,500 tons of tungstite.

p New antimony-polymetallic deposits have been discovered near the operating Hamman-N’Bayls mine, and mercury deposits with a unique content of metal in the ore were discovered in Ismail, Mra-Sma and Ghenisha. In 1973 a mining and metallurgical complex with an initial annual capacity of more than 300 tons of mercury was built with Soviet assistance on the basis of the Ismail deposits, whose reserves of high-grade ore have been estimated at 300,000 tons.

p Soviet geologists discovered, surveyed and prepared for industrial development a deposit of high-grade barite ores (nearly two million tons) in the vicinity of BatnaOres.

p Algeria was also able to strengthen the state sector in the oil industry thanks to its close cooperation with the Soviet Union and other socialist countries. The first Soviet oil specialists arrived in Algeria at the end of 1963 to help summarise geological data, compile programmes for geological prospecting, draw up projects for the development of deposits, and carry out measures to protect oil and gas deposits. Soviet specialists began to work at SONATRACH, the biggest Algerian government-operated company, in 1967. Since 1971 it has been in charge of all the extraction and transportation of gas and also of the transportation of oil, and of the prospecting and development of oil and gas deposits, It owns 80 per cent of the oil produced in the country.

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p Soviet organisations supplied Algerian oilfields with 22 powerful rigs capable of drilling the deepest test and production wells, and also turbo-drills, geophysical, seismic, geological surveying and other equipment. More than 200 Soviet oil workers were sent to the country to assemble this equipment and help to operate it.

p Lately SONATRAC1T has been expanding the construction of pipelines, likewise with the assistance of Soviet organisations. They delivered diverse building and assembly equipment to Algeria which was used in the construction of the Beni-Mansour-Algiers Oil Pipeline, the first to be built independently by SONATRACII. This pipeline which was also built with the assistance of Soviet specialists connects the port of Bejaia with an oil refinery on the outskirts of Algiers.

p Soviet specialists working for SONATRACH perform a broad range of functions. They have compiled major scientific works on the geology and oil-and-gas potential of Algerian Sahara and the Algerian Atlas, i.e., they comprehensively evaluated the oil and gas deposits of the whole of Algeria. Since 1968 oil and gas prospecting in a fairly large part of Algeria has been conducted on the basis of recommendations submitted by Soviet geologists. For example, their recommendations have led to the discovery in 1968 of the Tin Fouye Tabankorte deposit (150.1 million tons of oil and 120 billion cubic metres of gas), the Oued Noumer deposit in 1968-69 (27.3 million tons of oil), the Stakh deposit in 1971 (approximately 80 million tons of oil) and the Rourde Nousse deposit in 1972 (13.8 million tons of oil).

p Soviet specialists took part in drawing up a programme for the comprehensive development of the Algerian oil industry. It defines practical measures to be carried out by 1990 in order to raise oil production and fixes a rational scale of prospecting and surveying work.

p The USSR began to help Egypt survey its mineral resources shortly after the conclusion of the 1958 general agreement on economic and technical cooperation. At the time Soviet oil workers furnished all-round assistance to Egypt, particularly in geophysical surveying and prospecting in the Gulf of Suez area, where two new oilfields in Bakra and Karim were discovered with their assistance in 1958.

p Soviet specialists systematised the available geophysical data relating to the northern part of the Western Desert 169 covering an area of approximately 200,000 square kilometres from the Libyan border in the west to the Nile in the east. On the basis of their] work between 1966 and 1968 aeromagnetic and seismic surveys and test drilling were conducted in the western sectors of the desert on 184,000 square kilometres in keeping with methods used in the USSR. Detailed reports on the geological structure and the oilbearing capacity of this territory were made available to the Egyptian Government.

p An important aspect of the work conducted by Soviet specialists in Egypt was prospecting for iron ore, the demand forwhich increased considerably following the expansion of the capacity of the Helwan Iron and Steel Works to 1,500,000 tons. In the beginning of the 1960s they helped to conduct a detailed survey of the iron ore deposits in the Bahariya Oasis in the Western Desert.

p Coal prospecting by Soviet geologists began in 1959 and resulted in the discovery of Egypt’s first deposits of brown coal.

p The creation of a power industry in Egypt, extensive electrification and the development of the radio engineering and machine-building industries in the country have enormously raised the demand for non-ferrous metals. Soviet geologists took part in prospecting for complex ores and aluminium in the Eastern Desert along the Red Sea coast.

p Soviet experts working on the "Assessment of the Mineral Potential of the Aswan Region”, a UN project, obtained encouraging results. Between 1968 and 1972 they explored and conducted geophysical surveys on a territory of 25,000 square kilometres, and discovered Egypt’s first deposits of tantalo-niobiate ores in Abu-Rusheida, molybdenum deposits in Khamr-Akarem, copper in Gabbro-Akharem, and nickel and cobalt in Umm-Daveila.

p Morocco’s mining industry plays an important role in its economy. It is a source of foreign currency and accounts for approximately 43 per cent of the overall value of Moroccan exports. The leading place in the mining industry is occupied by the production of phosphorites and lead and zinc ores. Moroccan economic development plans evisage a considerable expansion of the minerals and raw materials base, particularly by increasing the output of phosphates, and non-ferrous and rare metals.

p Since 1967 the USSR has been helping Morocco in the 170 realisation of these plans. Soviet specialists have carried out large-scale’theoretical and practical surveys in Morocco which have yielded good results. They also took part in drawing up a programme for oil and gas prospecting. The more promising regions in this respect, they maintain, are Muluya, Gersif and the High Atlas.

p Moreover, Soviet specialists drew up a report on the comprehensive geological! survey of deposits of rare metals at Azegur and Gibilet, and made a preliminary industrial evaluation of combustible shale deposits. Prospecting conducted with their assistance led to the discovery of new industrial deposits of metal ores in the area of Bu-Azzer in the south of the country. Cobalt deposits in this region are estimated at 15-20 thousand tons of metal in ore. Thanks to the discovery of these deposits the production of cobalt in Morocco, which declined towards the end of the 1960s, rose to its former level.

p The recommendations drawn up by Soviet geologists on the basis of their surveys enable the government organisation Bureau de Recherches et de Participation Minieres more purposefully to plan the prospecting for solid minerals and select the most promising regions. The Soviet Union and Morocco also cooperate in the production of phosphates.

p In the Sudan, one of the biggest African countries, there are known manifestations of ores of ferrous metals, bauxites, copper, complex ores, magnesite, gypsum, fluor spar, asbestos and other minerals. But the country’s mining industry is still weak and one of the reasons is inadequate geological surveying. The problem of drawing its mineral resources into the economic turnover should be solved chiefly on the basis of comprehensive geological prospecting.

p Under the 1969 Soviet-Sudanese agreement on economic and technical cooperation, Soviet specialists took part in a gravimetric survey of the Red Sea Hills on an area of 130,000 square kilometres and an aeromagnetic survey of 100,000 square kilometres. Geological prospecting that was conducted in some regions led to the discovery of manifestations of iron, manganese, gold, gypsum and the ores of other minerals. Some of them may be of practical interest.

p The weakness of the state sector of the economy and the strong positions still occupied by West European capital in the majority of African countries south of the Sahara handicap their cooperation with the Soviet Union and other 171 socialist countries. Nevertheless, in spite of the relatively narrow range of economic relations, the latter include some fruitful contacts in the study and development of mineral raw materials.

p A typical feature of the Soviet Union’s cooperation with the countries of Tropical Africa is the predominance of preliminary stages in geological prospecting (regional geological surveys, geophysical, geochemical studies, etc.), because the regions where Soviet geologists work had not been studied before. At the same time, just as in North Africa, some of the countries receive comprehensive assistance at all stages of geological prospecting and also in the development of mineral deposits. A case in point is the Soviet-Guinean cooperation in developing bauxite deposits with which the country’s long-term economic development plans are closely associated.

p The first national mine in Guinea which has an annual capacity of 2.5 million tons of bauxites was built with Soviet assistance on a deposit near Kindia. This mining complex which is owned wholly by the state accounts for 20 per cent of the country’s output of bauxites. The USSR receives a part of these bauxites as payment for credits, and also purchases them under a trade agreement. All this considerably broadens Guinea’s opportunities to repay Soviet credits and buy Soviet commodities. The Guinean Government and people are highly satisfied with the assistance of Soviet organisations in the construction of the mining complex near Kindia.

p The Soviet Union’s participation in the construction of this mine ensured a steady import of Guinean bauxites which are used in the production of aluminium and abrasives.

p Soviet assistance to Guinea in prospecting for minerals is very extensive and diverse. Geological survey conducted on a territory of approximately 30,000 square kilometres has resulted in the discovery of deposits of limestone and other building materials which are scarce in the country. One of these deposits discovered in the area of Mali can keep a factory with an annual capacity of 200,000 tons of cement supplied with all the necessary raw materials. At present Guinea satisfies its requirements in cement only at the expense of imports. The prospecting for new bauxitebearing regions that was conducted with the participation 172 of Soviet specialists in recent years has resulted in tlie discovery of large bauxite deposits in the Pita-Labe area. Their aggregate capacity has been tentatively estimated at 250-300 million tons.

p The People’s Republic of the Congo is another Tropical African country where cooperation in geological prospecting has also resulted in the industrial development of the discovered mineral deposits.

p Soviet geologists conducted surveys in the middle reaches of the Niari and discovered rich deposits of lead and zinc ores, placer gold and other valuable minerals. The USSR is helping the Republic to industrially develop the prospected deposits of complex ores in Gengile estimated at 300,000 tons and placer gold in Sunda Kakamoeka. Stateoperated M’Fuati ore enrichment factory and a gold mine have been built there. Another complex ore deposit— Yanga Kibenga—has been surveyed. According to preliminary estimates it will yield a considerable amount of valuable raw materials. Soviet-Congolese cooperation in studying the country’s natural resources! is continuing, and at present Soviet specialists are conducting geological surveys in the Boko-Singo area.

p Soviet assistance in studying the natural resources of the People’s Republic of Benin took the form of laboratory tests of samples of non-ferrous and rare metals, including copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum, cobalt, nickel, chromium, tungsten, niobium and’lithium. A number of new agreements have been signed.

p The Soviet Union also helped the Mali Republic in prospecting for minerals. In the colonial period practically no geological surveys were conducted in the country. Therefore one of the key aspects of Soviet-Mali cooperation under the terms of the 1961 agreement was assistance in determining Mali’s mineral resources.

p At first an aeromagnetic survey was made of 75 per cent of the country’s territory. Geologists searched for minerals involved in the production of cement, and also for combustible shale, iron, gold and other minerals. Thanks to their efforts, deposits of high-grade limestone containing an estimated 18.5 million tons of clays and silica which are essential components of cement were discovered in the Bafoulabe-Kai area. The first cement factory in the country was built in 1969 on the basis of these deposits. Prospecting 173 for combustible shale in the Agamor-Bourem-Islufen area in the east of the country resulted in the discovery of deposits of this mineral totalling some 800 million tons, according to preliminary estimates.

p An important aspect of Soviet-Nigerian economic relations is cooperation in geological prospecting for metals and coal. Nigeria’s requirement in ferrous metals, which it has to import at present, is increasing very rapidly. Therefore, the construction of a metallurgical plant is a matter of vital importance for its economic development. The solution of this problem, however, encountered certain difficulties arising from the fact that the country’s raw materials resources had not been fully studied. The Soviet Union which has rich experience in building iron and steel works in foreign countries, consented to prospect for iron ore and coal in Nigeria.

p The first step was to determine which parts of the country were more likely to contain iron. As a result of aerial photographic surveys of 194,800 square kilometres and then of aeromagnetic surveys of 70,000 square kilometres it was agreed that the region of Okene-Lokoja was the most promising.

p Nigeria is one of the few African countries which have deposits of hard coal. Geological surveys made by Soviet specialists in two sectors revealed that its total coal resources amounted to approximately 320 million tons.

p There is a good chance of discovering new mineral deposits in Senegal, particularly in its eastern regions. Since 1963 geological surveys in that part of the country have been conducted by UN-appointed specialists, but they failed to discover anything. In compliance with a request from the Senegal Government, Soviet geologists in the period from 1971 to 1973 surveyed the area of 2,000 square kilometres and prospected for gold ore deposits between the Faleme and Gambia rivers and for placer gold in the middle reaches of the Faleme, and discovered two promising deposits—Sabodala and Kerekunda.

p There are titaniferous minerals in the black sands along the Atlantic coast of Senegal, which annually produced from 12,000 to 22,000 tons of ilmenite, 1,000 tons of rutile and 2,000-5,000 tons of zircon. But since many of these deposits have been depleted the Senegal Government engaged the Soviet foreign trade organisation Tsvetmetpromexport to make additional surveys of the sands. Its reports to 174 the Senegal Government substantiate the expediency ol’ quarrying and processing these titaniferous sands.

A programme for the systematic prospecting for mineral deposits has been drawn up by the Tanzanian Government with the view to creating conditions for the development of the mining industry. Between 1970 and 1973 Soviet specialists helped to make geological surveys of 42,000 square kilometres, compile maps and search for gold, lead, zinc, copper, and other hard minerals in the regions of Luna and Mranda. This work] paved the way for planning further geological surveying. Prospecting for minerals is also conducted in Uganda under an agreement signed in 1978, in Libya and some other African states.