During Mbese’s time, Gécamines provided jobs with fixed wages to tens of thousands of citizens in the mining provinces. The company built schools and hospitals, provided insurance schemes, and cultivated pride in its employees. It also trained hundreds of mining engineers who had prestigious jobs with competitive salaries. Some even went on to work for major mining companies abroad. Unfortunately, the entire system was erected on a shaky foundation. The company fell into ruin in large part due to the apparent theft of funds by executive management, mining officials, and elite government
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