Call Us

00971 6 555 3651

Our Story

About Our Company

Sables Sustainable Mining Consultancy LLC was established in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, in September 2024 by Dr Karamo NM Sonko, after 26 years of work experience in the mining sector in Africa, Asia, Australia, and North America. During this period, he has worked in gold (most of his career), petroleum and phosphate projects.

In Loving Memory

Dr. Karamo NM Sonko

Founder & Former Managing Director of Sables Sustainable Mining Consultancy (SSMC) LLC · 1961 – 2026

With profound sadness, SSMC mourns the passing of our beloved founder and Managing Director, Dr. Karamo NM Sonko. Born in Sintet, The Gambia, he was a distinguished economist and social scientist, educated at the University of Cambridge and the University of Denver, whose work spanned four continents, including service with the International Monetary Fund and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. He was Chairman of TAF Africa Global, founder and CEO of Jula Consultancy, a strategic adviser to Perseus Mining, and a leading voice for ethical, sustainable development across the continent.

Over a distinguished career spanning four continents, he also served as:

  1. Chief Strategist for Africa, Orca Gold Inc. (Vancouver, Canada);
  2. Executive Vice President of Sand Metals (Vancouver, Canada);
  3. Vice President and Deputy Director-General of Tasiast Mauritania Ltd., a subsidiary of Red Back Mining Inc. (a Lundin Group, and now Kinross, subsidiary);
  4. Special Advisor to the Lundin Foundation (Vancouver, Canada);
  5. Economist, International Monetary Fund, Washington, D.C.;
  6. Executive Secretary, African Business Round Table, Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, and Johannesburg, South Africa;
  7. Associate Expert, the Organization for African Unity (now African Union), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;
  8. Post-Doctoral Fellow and Economics Affairs Officer, UN Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia;
  9. Adjunct Professor at the Daniels Business School, University of Denver; the Department of Economics, University of Colorado at Denver; and the School of Professional Studies, Regis University, Colorado;
  10. Visiting Scientist, Department of Political Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver;
  11. Lecteur, Department of Foreign Languages: Administration and Business, University of Paris VIII, France; and
  12. Special Correspondent of African Business magazine (London).

He advised and consulted for many international organizations and multinational investors with regard to business in Africa, including:

  1. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Geneva, Switzerland;
  2. Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), Khartoum, Sudan;
  3. Moroccan Association of Exporters (ASMEX), Casablanca, Morocco;
  4. Nexant, San Francisco, USA;
  5. Mercuria, Geneva, Switzerland;
  6. UN OSAA, New York, N.Y.;
  7. Eskom, Johannesburg, South Africa;
  8. Standard Corporate Merchant Bank, Johannesburg, South Africa;
  9. Anglovaal Mining, Johannesburg, South Africa; and
  10. Stocks and Stocks, Johannesburg, South Africa.

A prolific author, he wrote and co-authored several books on African development, economics, and sustainability, including Economic Justice in Africa: Adjustment and Sustainable Development, Demystifying Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG): Charting the ESG Course in Africa, and 21st Century African Development Strategies, alongside many academic papers and articles. He was a recipient of a research award from the IRTI of the Islamic Development Bank (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia).

He will be remembered for his brilliance, his generosity, and above all his humanity. Though he is no longer with us, his kindness and the countless lives he touched will remain with us always. May he rest in eternal peace.

Our Network

We have an extensive network of professionals with experience in natural resources, especially in mining where our main interests lie. These professionals include geologists, mining engineers, environmental scientists, lawyers, social scientists, medical doctors, computer scientists, and others. They are drawn from different parts of the world, and they include academics, policy makers and practitioners. They come with total experience of centuries, from different companies/organizations. They have one thing in common – to find ways of enjoying the Blessings of natural resources sustainably for the benefit of present and future generations and the earth that we have been given at no cost except to conserve it.

Mission

Our mission is to translate our goodwill, experience and networks into advice, research and actions for a better world through sustainable natural resource exploration, development and production, especially in mining. Specifically:

  1. To harness the benefits of natural resources through sustainable methods of exploration, development, production and usage;
  2. Educate and advice governments and mining companies/organizations on Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG);
  3. To expose, promote and guide companies/organizations on the opportunities of sustainability for them;
  4. To advice governments, companies and organizations on win-win relations in natural resources;
  5. To mediate in natural resource disputes;
  6. To provide advice to governments on their Mining Laws and governance;
  7. To connect sustainable investors with sustainable miners;
  8. To assist mining companies and other relevant parties in finding expert sustainability advisors when they need them.

Vision

To become a trusted and competent leader in advisory and educational services for sustainable natural resource exploration, development, production and management worldwide.

H.E. Kgalema Motlanthe

Chairman of the Advisory COMMITEE

HIS EXCELLENCY KGALEMA MOTLANTHE was the President of the Republic of South Africa from September 2008 and May 2009 and Deputy President of South Africa from May 2009 to May 2014.

DR. TALEB ABDIVAL

MEMBER OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE

DR. TALEB ABDIVAL is CEO of E2M in Nouakchott, Mauritania. E2M was created in 2014 by a group of well-known African professionals with the aim delivering innovative solutions to African Governments in the field of energy.

DR. WALEED ALNUMAY

MEMBER OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE

DR. WALEED ALNUMAY is Associate Professor and Adviser to the Vice Rector of Learning and Academic Affairs, King Saud University, Riyadh. His primary research interests include artificial intelligence and computer networks.

MR. TERRY FRY

MEMBER OF ADVISORY COMMITTEE

MR. TERRY FRY is Executive Vice President, Global Energy Strategy, Cadmus Group, a leading American strategic and technical consultancy helping to solve the world’s most challenging problems. Cadmus deploys a team of more than 1200 professionals from permanent offices in Europe, North America, and Asia.

DR. KARAMO NM SONKO (RIP)

Former Managing Director (2024-2026)

DR. KARAMO NM SONKO was a world citizen, a businessman and scholar. He was the founder and Managing Director of Sables Sustainable Mining. Dr. Sonko taught in five universities in Canada, France and the United States. He also worked for the International Monetary Fund (IMF), United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU).

MS. MARIAMA SONKO

Managing Director

MS. MARIAMA SONKO is the Managing Director. She previously served as Vice President for Sustainability and Impact. She is a GRI-certified Sustainability Adviser and General Manager of the SMSF & SMST at Jula Consultancy, and was Vice President of Sustainability and Impact at Sahara Gold Corporation.

Dr. Taleb Abeydi

specialist in Environmental Impact Assessment

DR. TALEB ABEYDI is a specialist in Environmental Impact Assessment, with over 20 years of experience in university education, research, as well as the evaluation and monitoring of the Environmental Management Plans of various mining companies in East, North and West African

MS. SOPHIA SHANE

Director of Investor Relations

MS. SOPHIA SHANE has decades of experience in capital markets, corporate development and investor relations to District Metals Corporation following a career spanning nearly 30 years at the highly successful Lundin Group of Companies. At the Lundin Group, she was involved in all aspects of marketing, branding, shareholder communications.

MR. AHMED MOHAMEDOU

Financial Advisor

MR. AHMED MOHAMEDOU is a specialist in risk and stochastic finance and has worked for several banks in Europe and Africa: namely Fortis, Belgolaise and Generale de Banque de Mauritanie. He now heads his own businesses in North and West Africa: MCA (Mauritanienne pour le Conseil et l’Audit).

MR. SAMIH MOHAMED HASHIM IBRAHIM

Office Manager

MR. SAMIH MOHAMED HASHIM IBRAHIM has experience in sales, marketing, public and community relations, and accounting. He has worked for a number of Sudanese companies. He has also worked for Perseus Mining.

LIST OF OUR ASSOCIATES

Sahara Gold Corporation

Sahara Gold Corporation is a gold exploration and development company founded in Mauritania by three partners, with offices in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and an extensive network of mining professionals in Africa, Asia (including the Middle East)

Know More

Jula Consultancy

Jula Consultancy FZE is an international business and development consultancy, which advises and assists businesses, governments and others in Africa, the Middle East and other parts of the world.

Know More
Latest News

News

6 August 2026

Jula Consultancy FZE and Affiliated Organizations Announce the Passing of Founder Dr. Karamo N.M. Sonko and the Appointment of Ms. Mariama Sonko to Lead the Organizations. See press release below.

Jula Consultancy FZE and Affiliated Organizations Announce the Passing of Founder Dr. Karamo N.M. Sonko and the Appointment of Ms. Mariama Sonko to Lead the Organizations.
press-release-dr-karamo-sonko 07.08.26 (2)Download
press-release-dr-karamo-sonko long 07.08.26 (3)Download
HE Kgalema Motlanthe FoundationDownload

1 May 2026

Sables Sustainable Mining LLC, management contractor of Sahara Gold Corporation, is pleased to announce the successful signing of Sahara Gold’s second agreement with a multinational company with experience in Africa, Australia, the United States of America and the Middle East. Sables Sustainable Mining LLC initiated, facilitated and negotiated this deal. All three permits for Sahara Gold Corporation have now been taken. See more details here: https://saharagold.net/news-and-announcements/.

Get a Quote