2019 Minerals Yearbook

BURUNDI [ADVANCE RELEASE]

U.S. Department of the Interior September 2023

U.S. Geological Survey
 The Mineral Industry of Burundi
By Thomas R. Yager

In 2019, Burundi produced about 2% of the world’s The Central Bank was established as the sole buyer of gold
production of tantalum. The country also mined aggregates, (Manishatse, 2019).
clay, gold, limestone, niobium (columbium), peat, rare earths,
tin, and tungsten. Burundi was not a globally significant Production
consumer of minerals (Callaghan, 2021).
The production of peat increased by 55% in 2019; tungsten,
The manufacturing sector accounted for 13.2% of the gross
by an estimated 30%; and tin, by an estimated 20%. Between
domestic product in 2018 (the latest year for which data were
2015 and 2019, tin production increased by an estimated 433%;
available), and the mining and quarrying sector, 0.5%. Mineral
peat, by 362%; and niobium and tantalum, by an estimated
fuels accounted for about 18% of Burundi’s imports in 2019,
280% each. In 2019, rare-earths production decreased by an
and cement, 5%. A 2016 World Bank report estimated that
estimated 68%; cement, by an estimated 25%; and niobium
between 14,000 and 27,000 miners were involved in producing
and tantalum, by an estimated 12% each. Decreased tantalum
gold. In the fourth quarter of 2019, niobium, tantalum, tin,
production could be attributable to lower prices on world markets,
and tungsten mining employed a total of about 8,500 miners
and decreased cement production, to equipment problems. Data
in the mine sites covered by the ITRI Tin Supply Chain
on mineral production are in table 1 (Institut de Statistiques et
Initiative (iTSCI) (World Bank Group, 2016, p. vii; Institut
d’Etudes Economiques du Burundi, 2017, p. 185; 2019, p. 26;
de Statistiques et d’Etudes Economiques du Burundi, 2020a,
International Tin Research Institute, 2020a; Padilla, 2020).
p. 28–30; International Tin Research Institute, 2020b; African
Development Bank Group, 2021). Structure of the Mineral Industry
In October 2013, the Government passed the Mining Code
of Burundi (law No. 1/21 of October 15, 2013), which partially Most mining operations were privately owned. Gold, niobium,
replaced the Mining and Petroleum Act of 1976 (Decree-Law tantalum, tin, and tungsten were produced by artisanal and
No. 1/138 of July 17, 1976). The exploration for and mining of small-scale miners. State-owned Office Nationale de la Tourbe
minerals and mineral fuels other than petroleum and natural gas (ONATOUR) was Burundi’s only peat producer and privately
were governed by the Mining Code of Burundi. At the end of owned Burundi Cement Co. (BUCECO) was the country’s only
2019, the natural gas and petroleum subsector still was governed cement producer. The Government held a 10% share in the rare
by the Mining and Petroleum Act of 1976. The Ministry of earths mine. Table 2 is a list of major mineral industry facilities.
Energy and Mines was responsible for issuing licenses and
regulating the mineral sector. Commodity Review
In July 2010, the U.S. Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Wall
Metals
Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which contains
provisions in Section 1502 concerning the use of minerals to
Niobium (Columbium), Tantalum, Tin, and Tungsten.—
finance military operations in eastern Democratic Republic
Columbite-tantalite was mined by artisanal miners and
of the Congo [Congo (Kinshasa)]. The U.S. Securities and
CDP, CODEMIBU, Comptoir Minier des Exploitations
Exchange Commission (SEC) issued regulations in final form in
du Burundi S.A., DUTEZANYIMBERE, GIRUMWETE
accordance with the Dodd-Frank Act in August 2012.
NTEGA, Tantalum Mining Co. (TAMINCO), and other
In April 2014, the Government of Burundi and the
companies. In 2019, Burundi’s columbite-tantalite production
International Tin Research Institute (ITRI) started iTSCI for
was 193,174 kilograms (kg) compared with 219,003 kg
domestically produced tantalum, tin, and tungsten to meet end
in 2018 and 53,093 kg in 2015 (Institut de Statistiques et
users’ requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act. In the fourth
d’Etudes Economiques du Burundi, 2017, p. 185; 2019, p. 26;
quarter of 2019, 174 mine sites were covered by the iTSCI in
International Tin Research Institute, 2020a).
Burundi, of which 127 were active (International Tin Research
Cassiterite was mined by artisanal miners and GATETE
Institute, 2020b).
DUSHIREHAMWE, PAMBU, TAMINCO, and other companies.
Before June 2015, license fees for mining cooperatives were
In 2019, Burundi’s cassiterite production was 382 metric tons
more than $13,000. Licenses expired at the end of the calendar
(t) compared with 318 t in 2018 and 72 t in 2015 (Institut de
year in which they were issued. In June 2015, the Government
Statistiques et d’Etudes Economiques du Burundi, 2017, p. 185;
cut the license fees by two-thirds and made licenses valid for
2019, p. 26; International Tin Research Institute, 2020a).
12 months. In September 2016, the Government decentralized
Wolframite was mined by artisanal miners and Coop.
mining services, which allowed mining cooperatives to obtain
Minière de Gashoho, DUKEREBUKE MW’ITERAMBERE,
licenses from regional offices instead of traveling to Bujumbura
GATETE DUSHIREHAMWE, Société d’Exploitation et
(International Tin Research Institute, 2018).
de Commercialisation des Minerais du Burundi, and other
In November 2019, the Government banned mining
companies. In 2019, Burundi’s wolframite production
cooperatives and companies from selling gold to private buyers.
was 265 t compared with 192 t in 2018 and 19 t in 2015

Burundi —2019 [ADVANCE RELEASE] 5.1

(Institut de Statistiques et d’Etudes Economiques du Burundi, References Cited
2017, p. 185; 2019, p. 26; International Tin Research Institute,
African Development Bank Group, 2021, Burundi, in African statistical
2020a). yearbook 2020: African Development Bank Group, p. 147–152. (Accessed
Increased production of cassiterite, columbite-tantalite, and June 17, 2021, at https://www.afdb.org/en/documents/african-statistical-
wolframite between 2015 and 2019 was partially attributable to yearbook-2020.)
the reduction in licensing fees, extension of license terms, and Callaghan, R.M., 2021, Tantalum: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity
Summaries 2021, p. 164–165.
decentralization of services for artisanal and small-scale miners. CemWeek, 2019, Buceco’s cement line breakdown causes cement shortage
Decreased civil unrest in 2017 also contributed to increased in Burundi: CemWeek, December 10. (Accessed August 14, 2020, at
production (International Tin Research Institute, 2018). https://www.cwgrp.com/cemweeknews/markets-competition/521645-buceco-
s-cement-line-breakdown-causes-cement-shortage-in-burundi.)
Industrial Minerals Institut de Statistiques et d’Etudes Economiques du Burundi, 2017, Annuaire
statistique du Burundi 2016 [Statistical yearbook of Burundi 2016]: Institut
de Statistiques et d’Etudes Economiques du Burundi, December, 302 p.
Cement.—BUCECO’s cement production was an estimated
(Accessed April 27, 2018, at https://www.isteebu.bi/statistiques/.) [In French.]
75,000 t in 2019 compared with 100,000 t in 2018. Decreased Institut de Statistiques et d’Etudes Economiques du Burundi, 2019, Bulletin de
output was attributable to a breakdown in the company’s conjuncture du deuxième trimester 2019 [Newsletter for the second quarter
plant; Burundi experienced cement shortages as a result. 2019]: Institut de Statistiques et d’Etudes Economiques du Burundi, May
15, 56 p. (Accessed July 20, 2020, at https://www.isteebu.bi/b-conjoncture/.)
The plant resumed operations by December 2019 (table 1;
[In French.]
CemWeek, 2019). Institut de Statistiques et d’Etudes Economiques du Burundi, 2020a, Bulletin
Rare Earths.—In December 2017, Rainbow Rare du commerce extérieur de marchandises—Premier trimestre 2020 [Foreign
Earths Ltd. of the United Kingdom restarted mining at merchandise trade bulletin—First quarter 2020]: Institut de Statistiques et
d’Etudes Economiques du Burundi, May 29, 52 p. (Accessed July 20, 2020,
the Gakara rare-earth deposits in Bujumbura Province,
at https://www.isteebu.bi/b-conjoncture/.) [In French.]
which were shut down in 1978 because of inconsistent ore Institut de Statistiques et d’Etudes Economiques du Burundi, 2020b, Bulletin
grades in the deposit. By the end of 2017, the company had de conjuncture du deuxième trimester 2020 [Newsletter for the second
produced 75 t of concentrates. Rainbow planned to produce quarter 2020]: Institut de Statistiques et d’Etudes Economiques du Burundi,
August 14, 56 p. (Accessed July 20, 2020, at https://www.isteebu.bi/b-
3,900 t of concentrates during a trial mining period that would
conjoncture/.) [In French.]
last for nearly 2 years. Cerium oxide was expected to account International Tin Research Institute, 2018, New Burundi mining regulation
for 46% of production; lanthanum oxide, 31%; neodymium stimulates investment: International Tin Research Institute, April,
oxide, 16%; praseodymium oxide, 5%; and other rare-earth 1 p. (Accessed August 6, 2020, at https://www.itsci.org/wp-content/
uploads/2019/05/1801-ITSCI-story_BU_new-mine-reg_EN.pdf.) [In French.]
oxides, 2% (Kotze, 2017; Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd., 2018).
International Tin Research Institute, 2020a, ITSCI data summary—Q1 2014
In 2018, Rainbow exported 1,075 t of rare-earth concentrates. to Q4 2019: Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, International Tin Research
The company also estimated that resources at Gakara were Institute, 10 p. (Accessed August 6, 2020, at https://www.itsci.org/mineral-
1.2 million metric tons at a grade of 2.2% total rare-earth tonnage-data/.)
International Tin Research Institute, 2020b, iTSCI overview—Quarter 4 of
oxides, which included high-grade veins with nearly 12,500 t at
2019: Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, International Tin Research Institute,
a grade of 55% total rare-earth oxides. Rainbow produced 338 t 1 p. (Accessed August 6, 2020, at https://www.itsci.org/status-report-public/.)
of concentrates in 2019; decreased production was attributable Kotze, Chantelle, 2017, Big in Burundi—Rainbow Rare Earths’ Gakara project:
to operations shutting down after rains and the unpredictable Mining Review Africa, no. 5, May, p. 24–27.
Manishatse, L.J., 2019, Only Burundi Central Bank to buy and sell gold:
geologic conditions, such as discontinuity in the high-grade
Iwacu English News, November 27. (Accessed September 3, 2020, at
veins (Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd., 2019, 2020b). https://www.iwacu-burundi.org/englishnews/only-burundi-central-bank-to-
Rainbow planned to complete a revised resource estimate at buy-and-sell-gold/.)
Gakara by the end of the first quarter of 2020. Depending on the Padilla, A.J., 2020, Tantalum: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity
Summaries 2020, p. 164–165.
results of future exploration, the company planned to produce
Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd., 2018, Gakara production and operations update for
10,000 metric tons per year (t/yr) of rare-earth concentrates the three months to 31 March 2018: Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd., April 24, 5 p.
for at least 10 years. Rainbow could increase production (Accessed August 2, 2018, at http://rainbowrareearths.com/news/.)
subsequently to 20,000 t/yr—depending on the results of a Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd., 2019, Interim results for the six months ended
31 December 2018: Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd., March 12, unpaged.
feasibility study—and start downstream processing (Rainbow
(Accessed August 6, 2020, at http://rainbowrareearths.com/news/.)
Rare Earths Ltd., 2020a, p. 26–27). Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd., 2020a, Developing a long-term strategic source
of rare earths: Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd., January, 35 p. (Accessed
Mineral Fuels and Related Materials September 3, 2020, at http://rainbowrareearths.com/investors/
corporate-documents/.)
Peat.—ONATOUR’s peat production increased to 18,330 t Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd., 2020b, Interim results for the six months
in 2019 from 11,801 t in 2018. The increase was broadly ended 31 December 2019: Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd., March 30, unpaged.
(Accessed August 6, 2020, at http://rainbowrareearths.com/news/.)
based, with higher output from all ONATOUR’s mines in World Bank Group, 2016, The Republic of Burundi final report—Transparency
2019. The Gitanga Mine produced 7,529 t in 2019; the Gisozi in revenues from artisanal and small-scale mining of tin, tantalum, tungsten
Mine, 4,247 t; the Buyongwe Mine, 3,466 t; and the Matana and gold in Burundi: World Bank Group, 41 p. (Accessed August 28, 2019,
Mine, 3,088 t. In recent years, the company’s production was at http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/563321468184727489/
pdf/103086-WP-P145997-Box394854B-PUBLIC-Burundi-English-1607197-
consumed mostly by the Burundian military (table 1; Institut de Web.pdf.)
Statistiques et d’Etudes Economiques du Burundi, 2017,
p. 185; 2020b, p, 20).

5.2 [ADVANCE RELEASE] U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MINERALS YEARBOOK—2019

 TABLE 1
BURUNDI: PRODUCTION OF MINERAL COMMODITIES1

(Metric tons, gross weight, unless otherwise specified)

Commodity2 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

METALS
r
Gold, mine, Au content kilograms 549 396 953 598 567
Niobium, mineral concentrate, columbite-tantalite:
3 3 3
Gross weight do. 53,093 31,687 143,419 219,003 193,174
e
Nb content do. 10,000 6,200 28,000 43,000 38,000
Rare-earths, mineral concentrate:
3
Gross weight -- -- 75 1,075 338
e e e
Rare-earth oxide equivalent -- -- 40 620 200
Tantalum, mineral concentrate, columbite-tantalite:
3 3 3
Gross weight kilograms 53,093 31,687 143,419 219,003 193,174
e
Ta content do. 10,000 6,200 28,000 43,000 38,000
Tin, mine, cassiterite:
3
Gross weight 72 22 229 318 382
e
Sn content 45 14 140 200 240
Tungsten, mine, wolframite:
3
Gross weight 19 131 233 192 265
r r
W contente 9 63 120 100 130
INDUSTRIAL MINERALS
Cement, hydraulice 100,000 100,000 45,000 100,000 75,000
Sand and gravel, unspecifiede 1,200,000 1,300,000 1,400,000 1,500,000 1,500,000
MINERAL FUELS AND RELATED MATERIALS
Peat, fuel use 3,967 9,541 13,948 11,801 r 18,330
e r
Estimated. Revised. do. Ditto. -- Zero.
1
Table includes data available through August 19, 2020. All data are reported unless otherwise noted. Estimated data are rounded to no more than three significant
digits.
2
In addition to the commodities listed, brick and other clay and limestone may have been produced, but available information was inadequate to make reliable
estimates of output.
3
Reported exports.

Burundi —2019 [ADVANCE RELEASE] 5.3

 TABLE 2
BURUNDI: STRUCTURE OF THE MINERAL INDUSTRY IN 2019

(Metric tons unless otherwise specified)

Annual
Commodity Major operating companies Location of main facilities capacity
Cement Burundi Cement Co. (BUCECO) Plant in Cibitoke Province 330,000
Clay do. NA NA
Gold kilograms Artisanal miners Various sites in Bujumbura, Cankuzo, 1,000 e
Cibitoke, Muyinga, and Ruyigi
Provinces
e
Niobium (columbium) and Various producers, including the following: Of which— 260
tantalum, columbite-tantalite CDP Kidunduri Mine in Kayanza Province
ore and concentrate CODEMIBU Muhuhuri Mine in Cibitoke Province
Comptoir Minier des Exploitations du Burundi S.A Kivuvu Mine in Kayanza Province
DUTEZANYIMBERE Buvyukana Mine in Kirundo Province
GIRUMWETE NTEGA Taba Mine in Kirundo Province
Tantalum Mining Co. (TAMINCO) Gatete Mine in Kirundo Province
do. Manenge Mines in Kayanza Province
Oher cooperatives and artisanal miners 6 mines at various locations
Peat Office Nationale de la Tourbe (ONATOUR) Buyongwe, Gisozi, Gitanga, and 20,000
(Government, 100%) Matana
e
Rare-earths Rainbow Mining Burundi SM (Rainbow Rare Earths Gakara Mine in Bujumbura Province 2,800
Ltd., 90%)
e
Tin, cassiterite ore and Various producers, including the following: Of which— 430
concentrate GATETE DUSHIREHAMWE Bidogo Mine in Kirundo Province
PAMBU Mpinga Mine in Kirundo Province
Tantalum Mining Co. (TAMINCO) Gatete, Kibuba, Munege, Murehe,
and Ryamukona Mines
Oher cooperatives and artisanal miners 11 mines at various locations in
Cibitoke, Kirundo, and
Ngozi Provinces
e
Tungsten, wolframite ore and Various producers, including the following: Of which— 600
concentrate Coop. Minière de Gashoho Cumba Mine in Kirundo Province
DUKEREBUKE MW’ITERAMBERE Buhorana II Mine in Muyinga
Province
GATETE DUSHIREHAMWE Runinya Mine in Kirundo Province
Société d’Exploitation et de Commercialisation des Kuwinkona Mine in Muyinga
Minerais du Burundi Province
Other cooperatives and artisanal miners 20 sites in Kirundo and Muyinga
Provinces
e
Estimated. do. Ditto. NA Not available.

5.4 [ADVANCE RELEASE] U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MINERALS YEARBOOK—2019