- Title: TOGO: WEST AFRICA'S ONLY MARBLE FACTORY PRODUCES 30,000 TONS A YEAR
- Date: 12th July 1971
- Summary: 1. GV EXT. Factory PAN TO yard 0.06 2. SV PAN Crane lifting slab of marble 0.14 3. GV Marble stored in shed 0.19 4. SV & CV Circular saw cutting marble (3 shots) 0.32 5. SV & CV Man operates polishing machine 0.38 6. SV & CV Man grinding circular marble slabs 0.48 7. SV Assortment of circular slabs against wall 0.51 8. SV & CV Operator turns marble on lathe (2 shots) 1.01 9. SV Man examining marble ash-tray 1.04 10. SV & CV Man operates engraving machine 1.14 11. SV Man hand-polishing marble slab 1.18 12. SV & CV Man making chess board from small square of marble 1.28 13. SV Two men assembling tombstone 1.34 Initials SGM/1257 SGM/1316 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 27th July 1971 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Lome, Togo
- City:
- Country: Togo
- Topics:
- Reuters ID: LVA6D6LLB3CWK8OBXD5ZVLJ6N09M
- Aspect Ratio:
- Story Text: In its first full year of operation, Togo's marble processing factory on the outskirts of Lome has produced 30,000 tons of processed marble - 5,000 tons more than the target expected when President Etienne Eyadema officially opened the works in April, 1970.
The only factory of its kind in West Africa, the Sotoma - Societe Togolese de Marbrerie et Materiaux - plant is additionally unique in the fact that it is the only factory in Africa itself to process marble quarried in it own country. Togo's marble mines are at Gnaoulou, 80 miles (125 kms) north of Lome, and are busy producing 20,000,000 tons a year of the three types of the distinctive "Gris du Togo" - Togolese Grey - marble that is finding export markets in Dahomey, Niger, the Ivory Coast, Central African Republic, Congo-Kinshasa and Ghana. Italy, too, although world renowned for her own ancient marble industry, uses the Togolese product, while countries as far apart as Hong Kong and Luxembourg have recently show interest. To date, 11,000 tons a year are being exported.
Sotoma is a joint enterprise between the Togolese Government and the private Italian company, SINCO. When the project commenced in 1969, Togo put up about two thirds of the capital, amounting to 350,000,000 francs CFA(GBP525,000 sterling).
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