National Mineral Develoment Corporation has undertaken gold exploration in Madagascar and Tanzania.
A company release said in New Delhi on Saturday that gold investigation work in Madagascar has been approved in two phases by NMDC board of directors in May 1999. It said geological, geochemical and geophysical exploration work in total six identified prospective blocks of Ankatoka zone of Vetsiaka region of North Madagascar had been complete and data processing and interpretation was continuing. "Efforts are on to identify a property for gem stone mining and there were a few offers of joint participation in prospected areas and outright purchase of potential properties." NMDC obtained three prospective licences for gold in the United Republic of Tanzania and phase-I exploration involving drilling, survey, mapping, sampling and chemical analysis has been taken up by NMDC. A total of 8,000 metre of drilling have been planned in three ares in phase-II, it said, adding NMDC has been alloted exclusive prospecting licence over an area of 15,000 hectares along the Henties Bay for prospecting of diamonds in Namibia. Bureau Report