Arooj Sheikh recently undertook a two week attachment at Base Titanium Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Australian and UK-listed resources company, Base Resources Limited (ASX and AIM: BSE). Located in Kwale County, 50km south of Mombasa, it operates Kenya’s largest mine, which was officially awarded flagship project status under Kenya’s Vision 2030 national development blueprint. The mine is currently producing 455,000 tonnes of ilmenite; 85,000 tonnes, or 14% of the world’s rutile output; and 32,000 tonnes of zircon each year.
Arooj learnt about Base Titanium’s approach to handling grievances relating to mine activities, their recent exploration work in Lunga Lunga and their different community livelihood enhancement and social infrastructure projects. Such projects have empowered several local communities, which has also enhanced relations between those communities and Base. Arooj was also introduced to the plant, maintenance, port and mining operations.