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ANGOLA - Energy & Mining

Evaristo Fernandes

CEO, Geosondas

Bio

Evaristo Fernandes is a Civil Construction Engineer and CEO of Geosondas.

"Our key vision is to achieve all the objectives in the country’s national policies in the area of mining exploration at a national and international level."
TBY talks to Evaristo Fernandes, CEO of Geosondas, about ongoing projects, competition in Angola, and growth plans for the coming year.
What is the vision of Geosondas and what position does it hold in Angola’s geotechnical and mining services market?

Our key vision is to achieve all the objectives in the country’s national policies in the area of mining exploration at a national and international level. We have become an important partner for the state in the efficient production of the geotechnical geological information necessary for the development of public and private projects with the most modern resources in technology and methods.

Geosondas participated in INDABA, the largest investment event in mining in Africa. What opportunities arose from this participation, and how did it impact Geosondas’ business?

From a national point of view, the company has been operating in the mining industry for more than 13 years; in fact, our exploratory probes were directly involved in the discovery of the Luaxe Mine. Thus far, the reception to participating in INDABA, one of the most important fairs in Africa, has been extremely positive. In fact, we were requested to submit a proposal for the exploration area of the National Black Granite Prospection Park. It was our first time participating in INDABA, which saw biggest players in the sector within Africa, and we were able to demonstrate that there is an agency in Angola that has been developing the geological prospecting system since 2001.

Geosondas has technical and scientific capacity and operates in projects of a national and international nature. What are some of the most significant national and international projects that you are currently involved in?

In terms of international projects, we are participating in an ambitious project for one of the concessions for Catoca in Zimbabwe and are providing exploration services. We do not have any other similar international projects in our portfolio at the moment, though nationally, we are working hard on existing projects such as the Catoca and Luaxe mines. We have also presented proposals to certain entities and concessions. We have expanded and can provide all our services to the African region. We are open to working not just in Angola, but also in the entire region. We have signed some contacts in that regard.

What does the mining industry in Angola need to become more competitive, both nationally and internationally?

Mining in Angola is an activity with great potential in Angola because the country has the greatest diversity in mining in Africa; however, it needs alternative policies in order to invite foreign investors. The Angolan state must create in particular a Ministry of Mineral Resources and then develop attractive policies in order to attract foreign investors. The country requires the facilitation of investment flow and concession terms.

What are the main challenges faced by the mining industry in Angola, and how does Geosondas work to overcome them?

There are many challenges. In particular, our sector is dependent on imports for almost everything to maintain drilling services. The sector went through challenging times, especially during the pandemic when payments could not be made abroad. We also had great difficulties in carrying out our services and were forced to reduce our workload at the time while maintaining the workforce strength. The government had mandated during the pandemic that no company or entity could fire its staff, even if there was a lack of work.

How is Geosondas adapting and incorporating new technologies into its operations and services?

Those new technologies are tools that can help us manage the company, reduce costs, and streamline operations. Technology has, in one way or another, been innovating our entire management and services, from mining to production and administrative services.

How does the company plan to grow this year and in the near future?

First, we must continue to honor our existing commitments for the next three to four years. In the coming years, we plan to always continue to provide a consistent level of service. In addition, we plan to explore opportunities to provide new services, for example within the diamond mining sector. We have maintained contacts and are also able to enter the drilling exploration service for certain mines. In addition, we also have in our portfolio plans to expand our new service, searching for an exploration license.

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