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Kenya’s Mining and Blue Economy Cabinet Secretary Salim Mvurya said the country discovered its first deposits of the highly valuable mineral, coltan.

Coltan is used in electronic devices including mobile phones and laptops.

Mvurya said the government was now assessing the economic value of the precious mineral and would later consider signing partnerships for exploration.

“What we need to work on now is trying to see how we can be able to inspire investments in this particular mineral,” said Mvurya during a press conference on Thursday. “We’ll also set up a lab where we can test the samples and also declare the quality of the minerals”.

The coltan deposits were found in six counties across the country, but their value is yet to be determined.