tanzanian wins uranium one appointment

Mr Assa Mwaipopo

URANIUM One, a wing of ARMZ, the Russian State Uranium Mining Company has appointed Eng Assa Mwaipopo the Country Manager for Mantra Tanzania Limited.

 

 A statement issued by the company in Dar es Salaam yesterday said that the appointment which has been done by Uranium One’s Chief Executive Officer Chris Sattler is with immediate effect.

 

Eng Mwaipopo(48),a graduate of the University of Zambia in Bachelor of Sciences in Mining Engineering and holder of a Masters Degree in Mining Engineering from the Camborne School of Mines (UK) has vast experience in the sector.

He worked in the Ministry of Energy and Minerals, where he served as a Government Mining Engineer and Inspector of Mines and Explosives at Mwanza Zonal Mines Office. 

 

Later he joined the private mining sector working for Anglogold Ashanti at Geita Gold Mine as a Mining Engineer and worked his way up to Drill and Blast Engineer, Senior Production Engineer, Senior Planning Engineer and Mining Production Manager for a total period of ten years.During the stint with AngloGold Ashanti, he was also seconded to Ashanti Gold Mines in Ghana.  

 

He joined Barrick Buzwagi in 2007 where he was involved in the construction and establishment of the Mine till commissioning and operation as Mining Manager. 

 

He joined Mantra Tanzania Limited last year and has been involved in the planning, designing and definitive feasibility study (DFS) for the Mkuju River Project and the associated liaison with the government and other statutory authorities.   

 

Eng. Mwaipopo is a registered professional engineer with Engineers Registration Board (ERB), a fellow of the Institute of Engineers Tanzania (IET) and a member of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (MAusIMM).

 

ARMZ, the Russian State Uranium Mining Company has completed the acquisition of Mantra Resources of Australia which owned amongst other companies, Mantra Tanzania Limited. 

Uranium projects and mining operations owned by ARMZ which are outside the Russian Federation are operated by a Canadian public company called Uranium One, which is 51 per cent  owned by ARMZ.  

 

Similarly, Mantra Tanzania Limited will be operated by Uranium One.On the new appointment, Eng Mwaipopo said he was ready for the challenges ahead of him.

 

 “I am excited and feel greatly honoured. I will do my best for both my employers and my country, to ensure that together we successfully develop the first uranium mine in Tanzania and achieve the much desired win-win situation,” he said.

 

Mantra Tanzania Limited Managing Director, Mr Tony Devlin, said he was highly impressed by Eng Mwaipopo’s work with the company.

 

“I am proud of him and his experience is a big asset to the company,” he said.