(Ecofin Agency) - Premier African Minerals Ltd, mining and trading company, with mining assets in Western and Southern Africa, has received exploration rights covering an area of 249.75 km2 in a sparsely populated location in the eastern part of the Collines department in central Benin. The permit was given to G&B African Resources Benin SARL, its wholly-owned subsidiary, after entering into an agreement with the Beninese government, the London listed mining company said on 14 July.

“The area covered by the permit has seen intense artisanal mining activities for cassiterite, tantalum and coloured gems”, commented George Roach, CEO for Premier African Minerals. He stressed that the first trenches dug confirmed that at least three vast pegmatite structures existed.

The works pertaining to the interpretation of the existing satellite imagery revealed some other 39 objectives which could potentially contain tantalum and gems. There are, we hear, three pegmatite belts, the first 10km long, the second 5km long and the third 3km long. The latter, in particular shows encouraging signs for coloured gems including tourmaline and blue beryl (pictured), while the former two are presumed to be rich in tantalum and in a lesser part pewter.

With this new permit, Premier African Minerals has expanded its portfolio which has mining assets particularly in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia and Togo.