UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C.
20549
Form 6-K
REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 or
15d-16 UNDER THE
SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the month of December, 2015.
Commission File Number 001-32399
BANRO CORPORATION
(Translation of registrants name into English)
1 First Canadian Place
100 King Street West, Suite
7070
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
M5X 1E3
(Address of
principal executive offices)
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will
file annual reports under cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F
Form 20-F [X] |
Form 40-F [ ] |
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form
6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): [ ]
Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1) only permits the
submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted solely to provide an attached
annual report to security holders.
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form
6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): [ ]
Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7) only permits the
submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted to furnish a report or other
document that the registrant foreign private issuer must furnish and make public
under the laws of the jurisdiction in which the registrant is incorporated,
domiciled or legally organized (the registrants home country), or under the
rules of the home country exchange on which the registrants securities are
traded, as long as the report or other document is not a press release, is not
required to be and has not been distributed to the registrants security
holders, and, if discussing a material event, has already been the subject of a
Form 6-K submission or other Commission filing on EDGAR.
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by
the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
|
BANRO CORPORATION |
|
|
|
/s/
Kevin Jennings
|
Date:
December 18, 2015 |
Kevin Jennings |
|
Chief Financial Officer |
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INDEX TO EXHIBITS
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Sustainable Agriculture and Infrastructure
Construction Highlight
Banro Foundations Social
Development Initiatives in 2015
Toronto, Canada December 17, 2015 - Banro Corporation
("Banro" or the "Company") (NYSE MKT - "BAA"; TSX - "BAA") is pleased to report
on the 2015 achievements of the Banro Foundation, a registered charity in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (the "DRC) which invests in education, health
care and social infrastructure development and in sustainable agriculture. The
Banro Foundation has completed over 70 social developments in the eastern DRC
since 2005.
Sustainable Agriculture
Promoting sustainable agriculture and economic self-sufficiency
is a critical task in the eastern DRC. To tackle that challenge, the Banro
Foundation in 2015 shifted its primary focus to sustainable agriculture. This is
being pursued mainly through the Fundi agricultural project, which is located 15
kilometres from the Companys Namoya mining project.
The Fundi project began in 2014 with the planting of 100 ha of
maize and cassava. This initial crop is now being sold throughout the region in
response to a local shortage of food, in particular maize. The second planting,
begun in late September 2015, has seen maize, cassava and soybeans planted on
250 ha of land. The farm currently employs several people from Fundi village and
neighbouring villages, and will employ many more local people as acreage grows
over time.
The Fundi project has a number of goals -- to generate local
employment and incomes, to provide a new food supply for the region and open new
markets for locally grown produce and, perhaps most important, to serve as a
model farm for people in the region and to transfer enhanced agricultural skills
to local farmers. This last goal is being realized already. Banros Namoya gold
mine is currently transitioning about 600 former artisanal miners into farming
livelihoods at six separate villages. These new farming communities are being
assisted by the Fundi farm, through the provision of hybrid seeds, the loan of
tractors for ploughing and agricultural expertise.
Related to the Fundi agricultural project, the Banro Foundation
has been asked by the Maniema provincial government to rehabilitate and manage
the operations of the regions only seed farm, located at Kisamaba in Maniema province. This is a major
undertaking involving substantial investment and reconstruction of extensive
farming and housing infrastructure and would be funded by international donors.
The seed farm has the potential to play a far-reaching role in agricultural
development in the region, providing much needed seeds to farmers at competitive
prices throughout Maniema province and beyond. An agreement with the provincial
government is currently being finalized.
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Social Infrastructure Development
Since completing construction of two high schools in 2009, the
Banro Foundations top priority for many years was social infrastructure
development. This included construction of 10 schools and rehabilitation of two
more schools serving over 7,000 students, construction of a womens residence at
the University of Kindu in Maniema province, construction of five health
facilities, completion of four potable water systems serving 33,000 people and
many more projects.
The Foundation continued to pursue such projects through 2015
with the construction of a rural health care centre through a contract with
BCECO, a multilateral and DRC government agency. Under the same contract, the
Banro Foundation will soon begin construction of a second health centre and
plans to undertake multiple construction projects in Maniema province in
2016.
A further social infrastructure project underway is
construction of the third stage of the Nabuntalaga market at Luhwindja, South
Kivu. The first two stages of the project quickly filled to capacity and the
local Banro Foundation committee, composed of local community leaders,
recommended the construction of a third and final stage. Regional markets are
critical to local economic development, creating a focus for the commercial
exchange of goods and increasing the velocity of money in circulation.
In addition, several smaller Banro Foundation projects were
maintained through the year, chief among them a series of scholarship programs
for local young people which support 26 university students at four Congolese
universities, five high school students at an advanced technical school in the
city of Bukavu, and a post graduate student in a South African University.
Banro Employee Initiatives
Banros employees, working on their own, also made a number of
important contributions to local social development over 2015. At the Companys
Twangiza gold mine in South Kivu province, employees have banded together to
create Hand of Compassion, which is dedicated to helping the poor and
disadvantaged in their local area. Among many other projects, Hand of Compassion
has provided major assistance to almost 100 needy families in the community,
provided clothing for local primary students and organized a community football
tournament to raise funds and buy livestock for a local orphanage. Employees at
Banros Namoya gold mine launched their own Hand of Compassion on December 12,
with immediate plans to assist needy families over the holiday season.
One of the Companys executives in Toronto, with his wife,
arranged with a Canadian NGO to ship 25,000 French-language text books to the
schools which Banro Foundation has built in the eastern DRC. The books have been distributed by the Foundation
and a request for a second shipment has been made. These are just two examples
of the many ways in which our people personally assist local families and
individuals.
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2015 Awards for Social Performance
In addition to the above, Barno through its mining and
exploration activities makes substantial contributions to economic improvement
in the DRC. In October, 2015 these contributions were formally recognized with
the award of Best Performer in Social Investment at the DRC Mining Industry
Awards event held on October 15, 2015 in Kinshasa, DRC. The Companys founder,
Arnold T. Kondrat, was also nominated in the category of Lifetime Achievement
Award.
The Companys contributions to economic development in the
eastern DRC provinces of South Kivu and Maniema, where its two gold mines and
exploration projects are located, are far-reaching. They include the creation of
thousands of capacity-building jobs throughout the region; the construction of
significant infrastructure, including the rebuilding of over 500 kilometres of
public roads and 90 bridges and stream-crossings; the nurturing on a major scale
of local businesses and supply chains; the promotion of alternative and
sustainable livelihoods for people living near its operations and more.
This was the second award Banro received in the DRC in 2015. In
May, the Companys subsidiaries in South Kivu province were recognized as the
Best Employer in South Kivu for job creation and for the quality of wages and
benefits paid to employees. In making the award, union spokespersons also
referred to Banros contribution to the fight against youth unemployment and its
role in generating employment through the use of local contractors and service
providers.
Banro Corporation is a Canadian gold mining
company focused on production from the Twangiza mine, which began commercial
production September 1, 2012, and completion of its second gold mine at Namoya
located approximately 200 kilometres southwest of the Twangiza gold mine. The
Companys longer term objectives include the development of two additional
major, wholly-owned gold projects, Lugushwa and Kamituga. The four projects,
each of which has a mining license, are located along the 210 kilometre long
Twangiza-Namoya gold belt in the South Kivu and Maniema provinces of the DRC.
All business activities are followed in a socially and environmentally
responsible manner.
For further information, please visit our website at www.banro.com, or contact:
Martin Jones
+1
(416) 366-2221, Ext. 3213
+1-800-714-7938, Ext. 3213
info@banro.com
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