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AFGEM renovates school facilities at 45m/-by Staff Reporter
School facilities for the Mererani-based, Naisinyai primary that were being renovated by the African Gem Resources (AFGEM) Limited, have been handed over to the Tanzania Minister of Education and Culture, Joseph Mungai. Through its Tanzanian subsidiary of Mererani Mining Limited (MML), AFGEM, a South African-based mining company, has for the past one year been working on the school project which has cost over Tsh.45 million. The newly renovated school facilities consist of seven class rooms, toilets, staff rooms, storage container and a water well. "I believe it is a school that will hopefully churn out successful academics for generations to come", said Joe Kimble, the MML General Manager. According to Kimble, the school project was originally created by both AFGEM’s Chief Executive, Mike Nunn and former community Chief Swoipe, who has already passed away. The Corporate Communications and Investor Relations Officer for the AFGEM Group, Leanne Goott, listed other community development initiatives being undertaken by the company as provision of electricity and water supply to Naisinyai clinic. AFGEM has also funded continuous reconstruction and rehabilitation of the public road between Kilimanjaro International Airport and the quarries of Mererani, refurbishment of the village church and community hall, provision of power lines to small scale miners and the expansion of Naisinyai primary school. The school has 329 pupils, among them 182 boys and 147 girls, however its upper most class, Standard Seven has only 16 pupils - five boys and 11 girls. Naisinyai primary school, which was established in 1974 with only a single class of 35 pupils, now has close to 330 pupils, nine teachers (seven females and two males) and a modern building. The chairman of MML, Ambassador Ami Mpungwe, said it is through such community projects that AFGEM has managed to survive in the mining area of Simanjiro. "This company leads when it comes to the firms that have been facing opposition and stumbling blocks in the country", he said. Operating at Block C mining quarries of Mererani, AFGEM through MML, started its operations in 1999 after winning the mining bid. This year, AFGEM intends to list on the Dar es Salaam Stock
Exchange (DSE), where it plans to float its shares to the general public.
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