Lonrho Regulatory News (LONR)

2 Aug 2007 10:54

Lonrho PLC02 August 2007 LONRHO PLC ("Lonrho" or the "Company") ANGOLA CNIDAH INVITES LONRHO / COUNTERMINE TO ASSIST IN LANDMINE CLEARANCE Lonrho plc (AIM: LONR) who established a joint venture for Africa withCountermine plc, ("Countermine") in May 2007 to develop opportunities forlandmine clearance in Africa, is pleased to announce that, followingpresentations in Luanda, they have been invited by 'CNIDAH' ( Comissao NacionalInter-Sectorial de Desminagem e Assistencia Humanitaria ), the AngolanGovernment body responsible for landmine clearance, to supply an ORACLE 2landmine clearing machine for evaluation and appraisal in conjunction with theAngolan Government. The ORACLE 2 allows previously unusable areas of land suspected of beingcontaminated by landmines to be rehabilitated for productive purposes safer andfaster than manual land clearance methods. General Petroff, the Presidente da Comissao of CNIDAH, confirmed in theinvitation that Angola has 1,500 square kilometers of land that are currentlyrendered useless due to the presence of landmines. He confirmed that the currentclearance rate, using manual demining practises is only 10 square kilometers peryear. CNIDAH has undertaken to fast-track the evaluation process, and will provide amined area of land for the process, facilitate all approvals and licencesrequired for the importation of the equipment, and to ensure that all relevantcivilian and military expertise partakes in the test. Following this, the CNIDAH has agreed to rapidly produce a report on the resultsof the evaluation for all the relevant authorities. David Lenigas, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lonrho commented : ' We are delighted that in less than three months of Lonrho agreeing the Africanrights to the Countermine ORACLE system, Lonrho has delivered a tangible andexciting opportunity to assist Angola with its landmine issues. The invitation from the Angolan Government is a significant step and permits theORACLE 2 to demonstrate its abilities. Angola is a rapidly developing countryand it is a fundamental part of the development progress that the country'slandmines are relegated to history as soon as possible. I am confident that theORACLE 2 will help expedite this process. Lonrho is committed to providing services and products that support thedevelopment of African infrastructure, helping to re-invigorate localcommunities. Lonrho views the strategic partnership with Countermine as asignificant development in the implementation of its strategy.' ORACLE MINE CLEARENCE Countermine produces the ORACLE mine clearance machine. At the forefront ofmine clearance technology ORACLE is the fastest and most cost effective systemavailable for landmine clearance. Only the ORACLE can move forward at anefficient rate and cost, while tilling the land to a depth of at least 50cmpreparing it for agricultural use. The ORACLE technology is tried and tested,having been contracted to the Croatian Government (CROMAC) since 2000,performing beyond expectations in clearing active minefields. The ORACLE mine-clearing system is the safest land mine clearance methodcurrently available and is approximately 100 times faster and more effectivethan manual clearing techniques. The Spitfire tool within the machine hits themines at such a high speed that it destroys the mines before detonation. Thephysical destruction from the mine clearance neutralizes mines and disperses theexplosives into the soil meaning that the land is immediately ready foragricultural or other development. Antipersonnel mines pose a massive threat to safety in all corners of the globe,claiming new victims every day, with between 15,000 and 20,000 new casualtiescaused by landmines and unexploded ordnance every year. A local company will be established in Angola to oversee the management andoperation of the project. The majority of the personnel will be recruited andtrained locally in each country, supporting local job creation as well asutilising the intimate local knowledge of the areas that are targeted. LANDMINES IN AFRICA The presence of landmines has rendered huge expanses of land in sub-SaharanAfrica unusable. The presence of two or three landmines or even the suspicion oftheir presence can result in a large patch of land being avoided and leftderelict. 2nd August 2007 Enquiries: Lonrho +44 (0) 20 7016 5105David Lenigas, Chief Executive +44 (0)7881 825 378Emma Priestley, Executive Director +44 (0)7867 785 177 Countermine +44 (0)1233 641 084 Lars Nylin +46 (0)70 416 9600Pelham PRCharles Vivian +44 (0) 20 7743 6672 +44 (0) 7977 297 903Alisdair Haythornthwaite +44 (0) 20 7743 6676 +44 (0) 771 472 1379 Notes to Editors: About Lonrho: Lonrho, listed on the London Stock Exchange's (LSE) Alternative InvestmentMarket (AIM), is in the process of re-establishing a significant presence on theAfrican continent. Its investment and acquisition strategy, which was adoptedfollowing the appointment of David Lenigas as Chairman and Chief Executive andsubsequent shareholder approval in February 2006, focuses on the infrastructure,transport, natural resources, leisure and agribusiness sectors. Lonrho'sexecutive team has considerable experience across these industries in a widerange of countries. Lonrho announced investments in Luba Freeport, Norse Air,Fly540 and Nare Diamonds Ltd in 2006 and an investment in Swissta Water, throughStrenner Holdings and Agua da Namaacha in 2007. About Countermine: Countermine, is a UK based demining company, produces the state of the artORACLE mine clearance machine. The Company has a positive track record havingworked successfully with the Croatian Government in a series of on-going mineclearance contracts since 2000. Looking to expand its client base, Countermineis now looking to jointly explore opportunities in sub-Saharan Africa withLonrho. The Company is focussed on maximising returns through the use of highlyefficient technology with the added benefit that land is returned toagricultural use far sooner than through the use of more conventional methods.Countermine offers a full spectrum of services that it believes are essential tolarge scale mine clearance. These services range from manual de-mining,explosive detection dogs and mechanical de-mining. About ORACLE: Mechanical mine clearance is faster, safer and cheaper than manual means. Theoperating method of the flagship ORACLE is to 'rotovate', or till, the land andto destroy the mines by impact and disintegration before they can explode. Ifthey explode, however, the 53 tonne machine is substantial enough, particularlythe tungsten metal rotating tool at the front, to withstand the blast from alltypes of mines. A considerable amount of power is required to clear mines atdepth while maintaining an efficient rate of advancement. Due to its availablepower, the ORACLE can dig deeper and at higher forward speed than anycompetitive system. In the high-cost mine clearance industry time is money andthe capability of the ORACLE to clear mines rapidly is fundamental to thebusiness case. When clearing mines to normal UN-specified depths, the ORACLEcan produce a practical clearance rate of 15,000 m2/h clearing to a depth of50cm, which very few other machines can achieve. ORACLE's power and efficiencymakes it the most powerful and cost effective system available. This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange