The Mpama North mine is located in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The mine is located in a sparsely populated forest in the Walikale Territory of North Kivu province. The remoteness allows our operation to be in control of its own destiny and focus on efficient reliable production. The nature of our tin mine and processing requires very little power and consumables, which is a major benefit in limiting logistical activities.
The conflict minerals provision of the Dodd–Frank Act (subsequently repealed in 2017) sparked a consumer awareness and drive for responsibly produced materials. Alphamin operates with the highest standards required of any modern mine, with a strong focus on improving the overall wellbeing of our host communities. This supports a full traceability system of all our responsible tin production.
Under the DRC’s new Mining Code (2018), a significant portion of royalties go to the region where the mine is located. As there is little economic activity besides Alphamin in the Walikale Territory and North Kivu Province, our royalty payments are an indispensable income stream for the Walikale area and North Kivu’s Government.
The original mining code (2002) was originally established under the auspices of the World Bank and was designed to attract investors back to the DRC in the aftermath of a long civil war. The original code was extremely generous to private-sector engagement and was crucial to restoring some stability to the country. The 2018 version of the Mining Code does increase royalties and taxation rates, but only to bring them in line with those of neighbouring countries.