The 10.2 M€ GEMMAP project (Geological Mapping and Mineral Assessment of Malawi), is financed by France under a debt  agreement with the State of Malawi. The purpose of the Project is to support economic development in Malawi through growth and diversification of its mineral resources sector, through updated geological map coverage and an inventory of the country’s mineral potential at a sufficiently detailed scale (1/100 000). The Project was won through a tendering process by an international consortium led by BRGM in partnership with GTK, the Geological Survey of Finland, and CGS, the Geological Survey of South Africa.

The agreement was signed on behalf of the Consortium by Vincent Laflèche, Chairman of the BRGM, and Kester Kaphaizi, Permanent Secretary of Malawi’s Ministry for Natural Resources, Energy and Mining.  The Project’s official launch by Hon. Bright Msaka, Malawi’s Minister for Natural Resources, Energy and Mining, takes place today during a ceremony at the Bingu International Convention Centre in Lilongwe.  The French Ambassador to Malawi and Zimbabwe, H.E. Mr Laurent Delahousse, and a delegation from the Consor-tium led by BRGM Chairman Mr Vincent Laflèche, are also present.

Purpose: to support economic development with up-to-date geological knowledgeThe GEMMAP project will run for 4.5 years. In addition to the production of nume-rous geological maps covering the entire country (40 maps to the scale of 1/100 000, 10 maps to 1/250 000 and one to 1/1 000 000), the Project also includes:

• a geochemical survey of river and stream sediments;
• natural hazard mapping;
• the assessment of the mineral potential;
• the assessment of the small-scale mining sector;
• building of a database and GIS;
• targeted capacity-building and training measures.

Most of these activities include a comprehensive compilation phase to integrate archival data from engineering studies, field surveys and laboratory analyses into the current Project. Subsequent field work and laboratory analyses will involve a large number of specialists from BRGM and its partners, in various disciplines.An important component of the Project is a training programme based on field studies supervised by the Consortium’s geoscientists, short-term training abroad on specific topics - in the offices of the members of the Consortium and in other specialized centers - and diploma courses (Masters and PhD). The training will benefit geologists working for Malawi’s Geological Survey Department and Department of Mines. Both of these Malawian institutions will be actively involved in the project’s implementation.