http://www.resourceinvestor.com/pebble.asp?relid=40241Anvil...

http://www.resourceinvestor.com/pebble.asp?relid=40241




Anvil Mining’s [TSX:ANM] Bill Turner said he was relaxed about Congolese politics. Anvil was among the early companies into the country, with early-bird advantages. But he, too, spent considerable time describing Anvil’s social projects.

There may be problems n the DRC, but Turner pointed out that over the past five years Anvil has brought three copper mines into operation in what he said were “reasonably challenging conditions”.

The attractions of the DRC were, however, underscored by Katanga Mining’s [TSX:KAT] Arthur Ditto. Since its January 2008 merger with Nikanor, Katanga has been able to assemble one of the world’s largest copper/cobalt resources. The aim at the Kamoto mine is to be producing an annual 300,000 tonnes of copper and 30,000 tonnes of cobalt, Ditto told conference delegates.

But Turner, too, made no secret of the difficulties of operating in the DRC : infrastructure deficits, a “lost generation”, power problems, transport and poor availability of even some of the simplest products such as cement.

It’s not easy doing business in the DRC; it is not without a number of risks. The rewards should be commensurate, even if minister Kasongo sees it otherwise.