|
|
|
Investment Opportunities in the Minerals Sector
Yemen is featured by its great potentials of
minerals and even more encouraging is the
accessibility of exploiting these options. Along
with Yemen's strategic position in relation to big
international markets, geological studies have
confirmed that Yemen is rich with various natural
elements: silver, platinum and uranium. There are
also indicators showing the availability of gold,
copper, iron, titanium and minerals ores. Over and
above, there are constructional and decorative rocks
which could be exploited and manufactured to produce
cement, bricks, paints, etc. The following tables
give details of non-metallic and metallic elements,
their location, and other useful data.
Brief account of minerals investment opportunities:
1.
Metallic Elements in Yemen:
|
Reserves |
Location |
Name |
|
678,000 tons ( possible) with a
concentration of 15 gm/one ton of gold
9 gm/ton of silver |
Wadi Miden; Hadhramout governorate |
Gold |
|
31 million ton with a concentration of
gm/ton of gold |
Al-Hariqah, Hajjah |
|
12.6 million ton ( confirmed; accessible;
possible) with a 8.9% of zinc; 1.2% lead
and 68 gm /ton of silver; |
Al-Jabali Area, Sana'a |
Zinc, lead, silver |
|
No estimates were made; yet studies have
shown that zinc amounts for 12% and lead
3.8%. |
Tabaq area, Shabwah |
|
4.1 million tons (confirmed) with
percentage of 0.57% of copper and 0.39%
of nickel. |
Al-Hamourah, Taiz |
Copper; cobalt and platinum Series |
|
40 million tons with concentration of
0.32-0.52% of copper; 0.86-1.40% of
nickel; 0.66% of cobalt; and an
encouraging percentage of platinum,
palladium, and rhodium. |
Siwar, A'mran Governorate |
|
No estimates of ores reserves for these
areas as Cantex, a Canadian company, is
still doing exploratory studies.
|
Guttabah, Hajjah governorate; Al-Masne'ah,
Sa'adah governorate |
|
|
860 million tons distributed as: 130 tons
of iron ores; 46 million tons of
titanium acid; 27 tons of phosphate;
0.15 million tons of vanadium oxide with
15.5% iron, 5.3% titanium oxide, 3.14%
of P205 and 0.02% 0f V205 |
Mukairas, Al-Baidha governorate
|
Iron Ores and Titanium |
2) Minerals and Rocks for
Industrial & Constructional Purposes
|
Geological Reserves |
Location |
Industrial Use |
Name |
|
13.5 billion M3 |
Sana'a; Hudaidah; Bajel; Ma'reb; A'beyan;
A'mran; Hadhramout; and Shabwah |
Cement; glass; dyes; steel; ceramics;
sodium hydroxide; |
Limestone and dolomite |
|
365 million M3 |
Hudaidah; Shabwah; Ma'reb |
Salt; glass; soap; tanning; sodium
hydroxide |
Halite (rock salt) |
|
337 million tons |
Taiz; Hudaidah; Ma'reb; A'beyan;
Hadhramout; and Shabwah |
Cement; glass; medical purposes; heat
isolation; ornamental and decorative
purposes; |
Gypsum |
|
500 million tons |
Hudaidah; Mahrah; and Hadhramout; |
Aircraft bodies; dyes; ceramics; heat
purposes; |
Black sands |
|
16.2 million M3 |
A'beyan and Hajjah |
Heat purposes; glass; ceramics;
porcelain; plastics; rubber; soap;
paints; |
Feldspar |
|
157 million M3 |
Sana'a; Taiz; Rada'a; Shabwah |
Thermal purposes; glass; ceramics;
cement; isolating material; polishing
materials; paints; |
Silica (silicon dioxide ) |
|
11.2 M3 |
Sa'adah; Hajjah |
Optical and electric equipments and
appliances; Covering inside of solar
cells; medical purposes; rubber
|
Quartz |
|
120 M3 |
Sana'a; Sa'adah; Ibb; Hudaidah; Aden;
Lahj |
Cement; paper;
ceramics; porcelain;
rubber; plastics; thermal bricks; paints |
Clay minerals |
|
73.8 M3 |
Taiz; Ibb; Dhamar |
Detergents; soap; animal feeder; soil
refresher; oil purifying material;
|
Zeolite |
|
58 M3 |
Sana'a; Taiz; Ibb; Dhamar |
Constructional rocks; paving railways;
construction of cement shields; pipes
|
Basalt |
|
A lot |
Sa'adah; Ma'reb; A'beyan; Al-Dhala'e |
Paper; paints; cosmetics; medical
purposes |
Talc |
|
More than 4 million M3 |
Sana'a; Sa'adah; Jawaf |
Paper; ceramics; rubber; plastics;
paints; |
Kaolin |
|
613 M3 |
Sana'a; Dhamar; Ma'reb; A'beyan; A'mran;
Shabwah |
Cement; production of light weight
concrete; sound- and heat proof; road
pavements; railways |
scoria (cindery lava) |
|
34.5 million M3 |
Dhamar; Aden |
Scraping materials; toothpaste; rubber;
water treatment; constructional and
building purposes |
Pumice |
|
89 million M3 |
Dhamar; Aden; Taiz |
Heat isolators; production of light
weight concrete; soil treatment;
detergents; oil absorbing materials;
rubber; paints; |
Perlite and Pumice
|
|
316 million M3 |
Sa'adah; Ma'reb; A'beyan; Al-Baidha;
Taiz |
Decorative and building rocks;
construction of railways, dams and water
dike |
Granite and Gabbro
|
|
900 million M3 |
Sana'a; Taiz; Hajjah; Ma'reb; A'beyan |
Decorative and constructional rocks;
medical purposes; glue material
|
Marble |
|
31 million M3 |
Sana'a; Taiz; Ibb; Dhamar; Lahj; Hajjah; |
Decorative and constructional rocks;
fertilizer manufacturing; Detergents;
soap |
Tuff and Ignimbrite |
|
500 thousand M3 |
Sana'a; Ibb |
Decorative and constructional rocks;
floor tiles manufacturing |
Travertine |
|
|
|