Canada's Orca to Invest in Sudan's Gold

A man shows off his gold to potential buyers in Sudan (Reuters)
A man shows off his gold to potential buyers in Sudan (Reuters)
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Canada's Orca to Invest in Sudan's Gold

A man shows off his gold to potential buyers in Sudan (Reuters)
A man shows off his gold to potential buyers in Sudan (Reuters)

Canada's major gold producing company, Orca, discussed the great potential for gold production in Sudan, announcing a $350 million investment for explorations.

The company intends to produce about 60 tons of gold annually in its exploration area in northeastern Sudan.

Orca Gold CEO Richard Clark discussed the company's production plans in Sudan and said the geological potential in the country is enormous, making Sudan the second or third country to produce gold in Africa, Suna reported.

According to Clark, Orca is determined to produce more than 228,000 ounces of gold annually in its concession area in the far northeast of Sudan.

In a television interview reported by Bloomberg, Clark said that Sudan's geological potential is vast. The country's political and economic conditions witnessed a steady improvement following the transitional government's removal of extremist groups.

As a result, Sudan was removed from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and approved for debt relief.

He explained that Sudan expects to write off its over $55 billion debt as part of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative (HIPC), which means its eligibility for development aid and economic aid.

According to Clark, a feasibility study for the projects in Sudan revealed the possibility of producing about 228,000 ounces of gold annually at the cost of $751 per ounce.

He explained that Sudan currently produces more than 100 tons of gold, most of which comes from traditional mining.

Ocra company will invest $350 million in mining operations as the most prominent and first specialized company to enter this market in Sudan.

According to Clark, his company operates in a mining area located within the "Nubian Gold Belt," extending from Egypt to Saudi Arabia and Eritrea.

Ocra Gold is one of the largest gold mining companies globally and is working on developing the 14th project for gold in Sudan, which is about 200 km north of Dongola.



Lebanon's Bonds Rally as Parliament Elects 1st President since 2022

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri shakes hands with Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun after he is elected as the country’s president at the parliament building in Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 9, 2025. Reuters/Mohamed Azakir
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri shakes hands with Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun after he is elected as the country’s president at the parliament building in Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 9, 2025. Reuters/Mohamed Azakir
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Lebanon's Bonds Rally as Parliament Elects 1st President since 2022

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri shakes hands with Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun after he is elected as the country’s president at the parliament building in Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 9, 2025. Reuters/Mohamed Azakir
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri shakes hands with Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun after he is elected as the country’s president at the parliament building in Beirut, Lebanon, Jan. 9, 2025. Reuters/Mohamed Azakir

Lebanese government bonds extended their three-month-long rally on Thursday as the crisis-ravaged country's parliament voted in a new head of state for the first time since 2022.

Lebanese lawmakers elected army chief Joseph Aoun as president. It came after the failure of 12 previous attempts to pick a president and boosts hopes that Lebanon might finally be able to start addressing its dire economic woes.

The country's battered bonds have almost trebled in value since September, when the regional conflict with Israel weakened Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, long viewed as an obstacle to overcoming its political paralysis.

According to Reuters, most of Lebanon's international bonds, which have been in default since 2020, rallied after Aoun's victory was announced to stand 1.3 to 1.7 cents higher on the day and at just over 16 cents on the dollar.

They have risen almost every day since late December, although they remain some of the lowest-priced government bonds in the world, reflecting the scale of Lebanon's difficulties.

With its economy and financial system still reeling from a collapse in 2019, Lebanon is in dire need of international support to rebuild from the conflict, which the World Bank estimates to have cost the country $8.5 billion.

Hasnain Malik, an analyst at financial research firm Tellimer said Aoun's victory was "the first necessary step on a very long road to recovery".

Malik said Aoun now needs to appoint a prime minister and assemble a cabinet that can retain the support of parliament, resuscitate long-delayed reforms and help Lebanon secure international financial support.

The 61-year old Aoun fell short of the required support in Thursday's first round of parliamentary voting and only succeeded in a second round, reportedly after a meeting with Hezbollah and Amal party MPs.

"That presents significant ongoing risk to any new PM and cabinet, which need to maintain the confidence of a majority of parliament," Malik said.