July - September 2017 Volume 1

Mine
for Results
BISHA MINING SHARE COMPANY - ERITREABMSC’s Quarterly Newsletter

WHAT’S INSIDE• FEATURED STORY: EXPLORING THE EXPLORERS• Meet Monica Shamvuse Kalichini• Workers’ Union Inaugurated• Mogoraib CLO Oﬃce Reopens• Asmara: A Modernist City of Africa

www.bishamining.com

Our Vision
TO BE ERITREA'S BEST MINING COMPANY
BY FINDING, ACQUIRING, AND DEVELOPINGQUALITY RESERVES AND PRODUCING
IN A SAFE, PROFITABLE ANDRESPONSIBLE MANNER.

CONTENTS

Message from the General Manager

CONTENTS

05

Meet Monica Shamvuse Kalichini

06
12

WE ARE THE PEOPLE

ZINC/COPPER FROM PRIMARY ORE

14

CLO Office at Mogoraib Reopens

16

Workers’ Union
3© 2017 bishamining

04

SAFETY AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTHBMSC Believes:Nothing is more important
to BMSC's management thanthe Safety, Health and Wellbeing of its workers and theirfamilies.
All injuries and occupational
illnesses are preventable andthere is not a job worth doingin an unsafe way. NONE!
Hence, no fatality was
incurred at Bisha thus far,including during theconstruction phases.

Items
TRIFR
LTIFR
HPI
LTI
MTC / RW
FAI
Injury Free Days
Since Last LTI
Hours worked sincelast LTI

4

YTD as ofJune 2017
0.65
0.18
6
3
8
9
35
690,460

Encouraging
employees to be
champions of
Safety & Healthboth on andoff the job

5

MESSAGE FROM THE GENERAL MANAGER
This first e dition o f t he B isha m agazine f or B isha e mployees a nd t he wider
community is a welcome development. So the first message is one of congratulations to Milena and her team in compiling and issuing this. I am sure it isof great interest to employees and others that our safety per-formance in an
overall sense remains good, despite a total of 3 LTI’s in 2017 so far.
I thank you all for generally working safely and encourage you to do evenmore in this area so our results continue to improve but above all we need to
avoid injuries; remember our safety statement: “Everyone going home safeand healthy everyday”. This is our guiding principle.
The zinc plant commenced operations on 7 June 2016 and after a difficult 6months making bulk and zinc concentrates only we successfully made copperand zinc concentrates from late January 2017. While there is still some way to go to fully achieve the plantdesign we are moving steadily in the right direction and we have international consultants as well as Bisha
teams working on these issues to ensure we examine all aspects to find a permanent solution. The needfor specific ore to be fed to the plant has made life difficult for all the Production Engine departments andthey have done well to deal with the problems of this orebody. More work is needed in primarily Technical
Services and Mining to learn more about the zinc orebody.
GM, Edward Mounsey

In all areas, Production Engine (Technical Services, Mining, Processing, Metallurgical Technical Services, Engineering , Projects) FICTS (Finance, IT, Commercial and Supply, Employee Services ( Human
Resources, Training and Development, Security, Medical Services, Village Services, PCR (Public andCommunity Relations), Safety, Environment and Exploration have all done an excellent job in meeting or
exceeding their required performance targets safely and well. Of interest, no doubt, is the fact that we recently reopened the Erab camp as the main camp was becoming overcrowded. The occupants of this camp
are Mining Load and Haul and Drill and Blast and some HME personnel.
In the social area, I was pleased to see the sporting efforts of all employees at the independence celebrationcompetitions. Congratulations to the winners and to all competitors - remember it is much better to take part
than not - and also many congratulations to Eritrea on the occasion of the 26th anniversary of her independence. Recently, we heard also that Asmara has gained international heritage site status. Congratulations to
Asmara and Eritrea - this is also well deserved.
The recent major event of keen interest to national employees was the establishment of the Bisha
Union, which is the first such Union in the Mining Industry. I look forward to the Union and Management
working together for the future benefit of Bisha. Congratulations to all involved and in particular to theServices team under Chief Services Officer, Fesseha Ghebrehiwet, who worked hard to make thishappen.
I trust you find this magazine interesting and useful and it helps you get a little more out of an
association with Bisha.
Best Wishes
Ed

6

EMPLOYEE PROFILE
Short Background?
I am Zambian, 29 years old and have been in the mining industry for 7 years.

M
eet Monica Shamvuse Kalichini
BMSC’s Senior Metallurgist

How did you get into mining?
I always loved Chemistry and in my first year of undergrad the School of Mines at the University of Zambia gave a career talk. I came across metallurgy and gained an understanding of
how chemistry can be applied to mineral extraction so I majored in Metallurgy and Mineral
Processing. Fast forward 7 years later and here I am.
Why Bisha? …and what has Bisha meant to you since joining?
Why not Bisha? I was looking for a different challenge and I found that at Bisha. The ore here
is amazingly complex and no two days are the same. In that way Bisha has meant being open
to continuously learning new things, but most importantly knowing how to quickly adapt. On
a personal level, Bisha has allowed me to meet amazing people and forge friendships that will
hopefully last a lifetime.
What’s your favorite part of working here and how do you see yourself contributing to thecompany?
My favourite part is definitely my interaction with the young graduate trainees in our team. I
see so much potential and hard work there and I think being in a position where I help nurturethat potential and convert it into top notch process engineers that add to the Bisha value chain
makes up a big part of my contribution.
Also… the coffee. I’ve had some of the best coffee here thanks to the ceremonies I’ve been lucky
enough to be invited to.
Something fun about your PP team…
How well we all get along. That’s definitely the best part.
Something fun about you…
I like cycling. I also consider myself somewhat of a secret adrenalin junkie. I like adventure
and I am always up for trying something thrilling; Bungee jumping, quad biking etc. Next up
is sky diving… as soon as I gather the courage.

7

FEATURED STORY: EXPLORING THE EXPLORERS

The Exploration Department has been actively working to discover new mineral resources within the Bisha exploration
licenses as well as resource expansion of Bisha and three previously and recently discovered satellite deposits (Harena, Hambok and Asheli). The Department employs modern scientific technology to acquire, investigate and store exploration data. Airborne and ground geophysical survey, geochemical analysis of all kinds of samples (drill core, wholerock, rock chip, soil and stream sediment) and geological mapping and modeling are the main techniques used. Arc
GIS, surpac and acquire software are mostly utilized to investigate, store and retrieve exploration data.
Airborne and ground geophysical survey, geochemical analysis of all kind of samples (drill core, whole rock, rock chip,soil and stream sediment) and geological (mapping and modeling) are the main techniques used by exploration department. Arc GIS, surpac and acquire softwares are mostly used to investigate, store and retrieve exploration data.

Exploration Activities

BBisha’s total exploration license was expanded to nearly 20 folds (from 41 to 814 square kilometers) since the beginning of 2017. The exploration license consists of the Tabakin license (184 sq.km), which surrounds the existing BMSC
mining licenses, and the Mogoraib license (630 sq.km) in the vicinity of Bisha mining. Both licenses are located in ahighly favorable and prospective geological setting of the Bisha VMS district. A regional helicopter borne geophysicalsurvey was conducted in January and February of this year. Over 6386 kilometers were flown which, together withthe previous regional airborne survey cover the whole exploration license. About thirty VTEM anomalies (signatures)
have been identified in the recent airborne geophysical survey. Currently, the Exploration Department is actively working on the ground to follow up the signals (indications) of the airborne geophysical survey with detailed investigations
through field checkups, conducting ground geophysical surveys, detailed geological mapping, sampling and drilling.
Meanwhile, more resource extension and exploration drilling has been conducted at Harena and Asheli.

Exploration drilling and ground geophysical (Electromagnetic) survey operating at Tabakin and Mogoraib exploration licenses8•
2. Team based risk assessment (TBRA), is completed
before commencing new and advanced work program
which involves two or more stakeholders or if the project isthought to have a wide range of safety issues, and3. The Rostered Day Off (RDO) program, during which
the exploration team cleans and clears all work areas andservices all team vehicles.

Social and cultural gathering
The RDO program

The rostered day off (RDO) program is a biweekly drilling
operation shift changing day, during which the team implements cleaning, servicing and conducts teambuilding andrecreational activities such as reading poems and stories,
playing games and other fun competitions like mime.

Bisha mining district regional geological map

Exploration TeamThe exploration team consists of dedicated personnel
including managers, geologists, laboratory technicians,
geo-technicians, GIS geologists and geophysics technicians and operators..

Safety and Health

One of the main strategies of BMSC is to ensure the safety
and health of its employees. The Exploration Department
works hard to strictly implement BMSC’s famous slogan‘every one going home safe and healthy every day’ bycontinuously urging and raising safety awareness throughdaily toolbox meetings and weekly as well as monthly safety meetings. Any negligence or violations in implementing
safety and health procedures are not tolerated.
Safety and Health performance is ensured through:Poem presentation and mime competition

1. Work place field level risk assessment (FLRA), which
is done by assessing possible risks/hazards, taking necessary measures to control the risks/hazards, recording
the assessment in the FLRA book prior to commencement of work.

Exploration manager, Mr. Rob congratulating mime competition winners

9

WE ARE THE PEOPLE
Sirak Abraham /Process Plant Supervisor
Sirak’s development, from gold room assistant operator
during the gold phase all the way to his present position
as process plant Supervisor, is a testament to BMSC’s
commitment to the training and development of its national
workforce. Sirak is a high school graduate with one year of
university. He is one of the first local staff recruited at theprocess plant back in December 2010.
He speaks very fondly of his expat colleagues who pushed
him to keep advancing himself and never give up. Siraksays that this valuable motivation and vote of confidence
from his immediate supervisors and colleagues is what allowed him to face all challenges and climb up his career
ladder. His slogan is “never surrender or never give up believe in one number that is one and be number one in every
aspects’’. In his spare time Sirak loves playing soccer.
Sirak Abraham

Hajia Omer Mohammed /Village Services, Housekeeping“Life can be full of obstacles but overcoming them is whatmakes it worth living” says Hajia Omer. Hajia joined BMSC
in 2013 in the housekeeping section of the Village Services
Department. Prior to this she was engaged in local handcraft works producing and selling local baskets, mats, etc.
Hajia’s husband is a Martyr and so her income was subsidized by the Government of Eritrea’s Martyrs Fund given
to any family that lost a loved one during the war. Although
this allowed her to survive to some extent, it was far from
sufficient to care for her family, which includes three children and two sisters with mental disorders.
Hajia is very grateful to have been recruited to join BMSC
and says this has played a great role in changing her
livelihood. She could now afford to pay for extra medical
expenses and although education is free in Eritrea the income allows her to pay for extra tutoring for her children.
She also said that this has taught her a culture of saving,which allowed her to buy two cows. In her spare time, Hajia
is still involved in local handcraft activities.
10

Hajia Omer Mohammed

WE ARE THE PEOPLE
Mohammednure Ahmed /Environmental Assistant“BMSC is not only a mining company but a training school” those were
Mohammednure’s words to describe his work environment. Before joining
BMSC he was engaged in daily labor and seasonal farming activities in
his village. He was demobilized in 2014 and right after that he joined theEnvironment Department as day-laborer at the site’s nursery.
While at BMSC, he received training in pruning, pesticide spraying andother nursery management related activities. He also received training insafety and human resources, as well as other soft skills training.
Mohammednure speaks very highly of his team and colleagues. Working
at BMSC, Mohammednure says, has allowed him to buy three oxen forfarming, two dairy cows and two donkeys to fetch water for home consumption. He is also able to take good care of his wife and eight kids.

Mohammednure Ahmed

Amleset Negusse and Letetsion
Ghebreleul / Car Wash Attendants
Amleset Negusse and Letetsion Ghebreleul / Car Wash Attendants
Gender discrimination in Eritrea, especially when it comes to equal opportunity in school and work, is abolished. This is why many activities previously monopolized by men are now being efficiently handled by women.
There are many examples of equal opportunity employment access at
BMSC, in several departments. The two that are most apparent are in
the Mining and Engineering Departments. Amleset Negusse and Letetsion
Ghebreleul are the embodiment of this policy.
Amleset is from the Mai-Mine sub zone. She takes care of her two children and & her elderly mother. Before joining BMSC, she was a waitressat a teashop in Mogoraib, barely earning enough income to survive. This
harsh reality changed in 2012 when she applied and was accepted to join
BMSC as a car wash attendant. Amleset is bussed to and from her housein Mogoraib and says that her time at BMSC has taught her many valuablelessons in survival and perseverance.
Letetsion is from the Adi-Quala sub zone. She too has two children andan elderly mother whom she takes care of. Letesion’s husband is a Martyr.
She joined BMSC in 2010 as part of the Village Services laundry crew. After a few years, she moved to Engineering for higher pay and is now a car
wash attendant. Letetsion is also bussed to and from Mogoraib and says
she continues to strive for growth within the company.
As both Adi Quala and Mai-Mine are adjacent to the border with Ethiopia,
the two year border war (1998-2000) and the continued no-war no-peace
situation between Eritrea and Ethiopia affected the economic life of theborder areas. Therefore, both Amleset and Letetsion migrated to the Gash
Barka region in search of jobs and BMSC provided the perfect opportunity.
11

Amleset Negusse /Letetsion Ghebreleul

CORPORATE NEWSOn July 14, 2017,
Nevsun Resources announced that Cliff Davis’s
transition period was completed and that he wasretired from the Company
after 22 years of service.
During his last field visit
to Eritrea, BMSC's management organized a very
special farewell dinner for
him in the presence of all
department heads andother guests, including
new Board of Directors
members and new CEO,Mr. Peter Kukielski.
Cliff was presented withvarious traditional gifts
from the Gash Barka region to show the Bisha
team's appreciation for his
solid leadership and service over years.

Cliff with traditional
Eritrean outfit during
farewell ceremony

12

CORPORATE NEWS
July 13, 2017
Nevsun Reports Increased Copper Production In Bisha Q2 Operating Results
Nevsun Resources Ltd. is pleased to report its Bisha operating results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017.

Bisha Operating Highlights During Q2 2017

•Produced 5.7 million pounds of copper in copper concentrate•Produced 43.0 million pounds of zinc in zinc concentrate•Sold 7.7 million payable pounds of copper in copper concentrate•Sold 34.3 million payable pounds of zinc in zinc concentrate•Improved copper recovery to 51.6% from 34.0% during Q1 2017
“We continue to see gradual improvements in the plant performance,” stated Peter Kukielski, Nevsun CEO, “We are now
producing copper concentrate consistently in the copper circuit versus the prior three quarters where bulk concentrate
was being produced.”

Mr. Peter G. Kukielski
May 8, 2017
Nevsun Resources Appoints New CEO
Nevsun Resources Ltd. announced the appointment of
Mr. Peter G. Kukielski to the position of President andChief Executive Officer, effective May 12, 2017. Mr.
Kukielski replaces Cliff Davis, who announced his intention to retire earlier this year.
Mr. Kukielski brings more than 30 years of diverse international experience in the mining industry to this role.
Most recently, Mr. Kukielski was Chief Executive Officer of Anemka Resources from 2014 to 2017, a privatecompany backed by Warburg Pincus formed to invest
in global mining assets. From 2008 to 2013 he was theChief Executive, Mining for ArcelorMittal, responsible for
27 operating mines and three major development projects, distributed within 12 countries. From 2006 to 2008
Mr. Kukielski was the Chief Operating Officer of Teck Resources, responsible for three copper mines, four zincmines, six metallurgical coal mines, two gold mines, one
base metal refinery and two major development projects.
From 2001 to 2006 he was with Falconbridge (originally
Noranda) in senior roles, latterly including Chief Operating Officer, and in years prior he had various increasingly
senior roles with other major mining companies, including
13

direct experiences in engineering, commissioning andoperating significant mines in a wide variety of international jurisdictions.
“On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to welcome Mr. Kukielski to Nevsun,” said Tookie Angus,
Nevsun Chairman. “Mr. Kukielski’s extensive experience in the sector makes him an ideal candidate to lead
Nevsun through the next phase of its evolution, which isunderpinned by the advancement and development of thecopper-gold Timok Project in Serbia.”“The board of directors would also like to thank Cliff Davisfor his unwavering commitment and dedication to the success of Nevsun. We are thankful for his contributions to
the Company and wish him well in his retirement,” added
Mr. Angus. Mr. Davis continues with the Company for the
next two months as part of the transition process.
“Nevsun has a world-class asset base and I am thrilled
to be joining the Company at such an exciting time in its
history. I look forward to working with the board of directors, my colleagues in senior management and the entire
team at Nevsun as we advance our projects and optimize
our assets with the goal of creating sustainable long-termvalue for shareholders,” said Mr. Kukielski.
Mr. Kukielski has a Masters of Science degree in Civil
Engineering from Stanford University in California.

CORPORATE NEWS
ZINC/COPPER
FROM PRIMARY OREFirst Zinc from Primary ore
After many months of project work to complete the new
Zinc Process Plant and many hours of laboratory andother work to achieve the required recovery rates in theplant, we managed to ship the first Zinc Concentratefrom Primary ore on 6 September 2016.
The MV Le Tong left Massawa Port on the 6th of September 2016 to be discharged in Fancheng port for MRI.
MRI managed to win our first Zinc tender and planned
to deliver this shipment to their end customer in china.
It was a big achievement to complete the Zinc projecton time and it is a significant milestone for Eritrea, it’speople and the whole BMSC team. This could not be
accomplished without the invaluable inputs from all Bisha employees as well as assistance from our partners,
Transhorn and Massawa Port Authorities.

First Copper from Primary ore
The effort to recover Copper concentrate from theZinc/Copper ore being mined from the Bisha pit has
been a long but successful exercise for all the people
involved to achieve a saleable copper concentrate.
This was achieved earlier this year when we were able
to ship our first parcel of Copper Concentrate from Primary ore. The MV Simone left Massawa Port on the
31st of May 2017 to be discharged at the Isabel port in
Philippines for the Glencore Pasar smelter.
This could not be achieved without the major effort
from all involved improving the Copper recovery efficiencies and all Bisha employees involved deservea big recommendation. This again is a significant
milestone for Eritrea, it’s people and the whole BMSC
team and could not be accomplished without the invaluable assistance from our partners, Transhorn,
Massawa Port Authorities.
14

BISHA PHOTOS

Bisha Plant

Tailings Management Facility

BISHA PIT
15

COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE PROJECTCLO Office at Mogoraib Reopens

On Saturday, July 15, Frazer Bourchier, Nevsun’s
Chief Operating Officer, was accompanied by BMSC’s General Manager, Ed Mounsey, Chief Services Officer, Fesseha Ghebrehiwet, and other
BMSC department heads and staff as he cut the
ribbon on the newly built BMSC Information Centerat Mogoraib.
The center was built using Community Assistance
Project (CAP) funds after the original structure wasdestroyed by heavy winds back in 2015.
Mogoraib’s Community Liaison Officer, Mr. Hamed
Ali Mohammed, who has been with BiMSC for 11
years, will occupy half the structure while the otherhalf will be occupied by sub zoba Dghe administration.

During the handover ceremony, Tenal Bourchier, Frazer’s daughter,
was also present and the Mogoraib community organized a special
ceremony in which Mr. Humed IIa, Dghe Administrator, gifted her a
traditional outfit called “luwyet” on behalf of the community.

16

FUN AND NEWS

Asmara:a Modernist City of Africa
Located at over 2000 metres above
sea level, the capital of Eritrea developed from the 1890’s onwards
as a military outpost for the Italian colonial power. After 1935,
Asmara underwent a large scale
programme of construction applying the Italian rationalist idiom of
the time to governmental edifices,
residential and commercial buildings, churches, mosques, synagogues, cinemas, hotels, etc. The
property encompasses the area ofthe city that resulted from various
phases of planning between 1893
and 1941, as well as the indigenous
unplanned neighbourhoods of Arbate Asmera and Abbashawel. It
is an exceptional example of earlymodernist urbanism at the beginning of the 20th century and its application in an African context.

Take on your BMSC colleagues in this head-to-head version
of a modern-day classic “brain food”. Email your answers
to mbereket@bishamining.com and the winner (timestamped emails) will be announced in the next issue of thisnewsletter.

Source: UNESCOTASTEBUD CHALLENGE
We love our Caterning staff and truly appreciate their
hard work in keeping our stomachs happy, three times,
every single day.
We especially love them when they respond to our challenges and go the extra mile to remind us of mom’s cooking.
Here are three different dishes collected from our expat
colleagues. We call this corner the “tastebud challenge”
and believe BMSC’s Catering staff will, as always, go theextra mile to surprise us.

17

WORKERS’ UNION
Workers’ Union inaugurated July 11, 2017 •After a long process that included meetings with employees in all departments, discussions and consultation with
the National Confederation of Eritrean Workers, and finally, an open and democratic election process that resulted
in 11 employees elected as representatives, BMSC formally established a workers union on July 11, 2017. The
Secretary General of the NCEW, Mr. Tekeste Baire, alongwith ENAMCO representative, Mr. Hizbawi Menghisteab, were present at the inaugural event, congratulating
BMSC employees for this milestone.

•

Below is an excerpt of Ed Mounsey’s speech during themeeting conducted with BMSC employees on July 4:
The Union we establish at Bisha should be a Union that
follows and respects Bisha rules, procedures and should
add value to the existing BMSC policies and Core Values.
Bisha Union should be a role model to the other companies that are coming up soon in Eritrea.
BMSC accepts the establishment of a Union at Bisha. All
parties, i.e. BMSC, Nevsun, Enamco and NCEWs recognise the importance of this step and agree to the following general guidelines in establishing a framework for thisexercise.
•
•

•
•
•
•

•

•

All parties recognize the leading role played by BMSC
in developing international standard mining and processing operations in a safe, healthy and cooperative
work environment and will continue to work cooperatively to maintain this. BMSC is a leading organizationin the field of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
and workers’ rights (WR) and has active programs or
systems and procedures in place in both areas. All
parties recognize this and will continue to fully support BMSC in maintaining a leading position in theseareas.
All parties recognize the economic importance of
BMSC to Eritrea and will work together to ensure operations continue on a 24/7/365 basis to the mutual
benefit of all

Tekeste Baire, NCEW and Ed Mounsey, BMSC

The function of the Union will be to assist employees
who are registered union members in their normal
dealings within BMSC.
These dealings will include, inter alia, disciplinarycase representation, grievance issues, general routine workplace communications meetings, Quarterly
Works committee meetings, SHES related issues,
general medical health admin related issues and others as per the existing Workers Rights in Bisha.
It is anticipated that employees will need to become
members of the union to be eligible for representationby the Union. Union membership is voluntary.
It is envisaged that each workplace area, Department or Section will be represented in proportion of
its number.
The number of Union leadership will be eight (8).
The detail relationship working procedures (WP) between BMSC and the BMSC Union representatives
and leadership will be developed between NCEW
and BMSC prior to the establishment of a Union at
BMSC.
The role of the Union will be to ensure success for
BMSC and its employees in meeting production targets in all areas and support harmonious working relationships at BMSC.
The existing policies and SWPs at BMSC will be followed and respected by all parties.

Fesseha Ghebrehiwet, CSO

Elected Union Leaders

Tekeste hands NCEW flag to Ed

18

BISHA IN PICTURES

Commemorating Eritrean Martyrs with the Community

Celebrating May 24

19

EVERYONE GOING HOME
SAFE AND HEALTHY EVERYDAY“our results continue to improve but above all we need to
avoid injuries; remember our safety statement:“Everyone going home safe and healthy everyday”
This is our guiding principle.” Ed Mounsey

Bisha Mining Share Company | Head Office - 61, Mariam Gimby, Asmara, Eritrea PO Box 4276 |Phone: 291 112 4941 | Email: bisha@bishamining.com