Central Africa

AEL Central Africa, with its main hub in Zambia, is the major producer and supplier of explosives, initiating systems and services to the Central African region. AEL supplies explosives products and provides mining solutions and services to a diverse group of customers in this region, from civil contractors, massive underground operations, quarry services to multi-nationals operating some of the largest surface openpit mines of its kind in Africa.

AEL has made significant investments into Central Africa and manufactures the majority of the products sold in the region through its regional plants. AEL has a number of regional manufacturing facilities for the production of bulk emulsion explosives for surface and underground use, with a plant currently under construction in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The region also manufactures all of its packaged explosives requirements and assembles electric detonators and the full range of shock tube detonating systems. The complete range of AEL products, including electronic detonators, are supplied and serviced within the region.

The main AEL factory in Zambia is situated along the Kitwe/Mufulira road, in the hub of the central African mining industry – the Zambian Copperbelt. It has extensive magazine facilities for buffer storage and uses its well-established transport logistics to effectively export all of its explosives products to countries like Malawi, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the region.

In the fast growing mining industry of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, AEL has already made substantial investments to establish a presence with a main sales office in Lubumbashi and a number of strategically placed storage and distribution facilities within the Katanga province. AEL also started construction of a large bulk explosives manufacturing facility in the region, ensuring that the company is well positioned to take on any growth opportunities in the Central African region.

AEL Zambia Plc was listed on the Lusaka stock exchange (LuSe) in September 2006. The company employs 280 staff and indirectly employs a further 100 staff, such as security officers, and sub-contractors.

AEL's customers comprise the leading copper and cobalt, underground massive and surface open pit mines in the Central African region, such as:

AEL Zambia Plc has a number of Corporate Social Responsibility programmes with the main focus on education and community projects. During 2009, AEL Zambia dedicated time and money to renovating a local school and police station charge office.

AEL Zambia, a ISO 14001 accredited company, manages many environmental projects, such as the control of effluent, and assists the government with the eradication of Lantana plants within surrounding areas.

For more information contact: Thinus Bierman (Zambia)  Andre Bester (DRC)